Sullivan South fended off a second-half rally from East Hamilton in the first round of the TSSAA Class 4A playoffs, holding on late for a 28-24 victory Friday night.
East Hamilton (7-4) scored on its opening possession, marching the ball down the field 76 yards on nine plays. With the visiting Rebels (6-5) showing blitz on second-and-long, East Hamilton audibled to a screen pass from quarterback Haynes Eller to running back Adam Caudle for a 24-yard touchdown.
The rest of the first half was dominated by Sullivan South with its monstrous offensive line and running back workhorse Julian Reed. He finished the game with two touchdowns and 257 yards on 36 rushes.
"Julian's missed five games this season, and now he's finally healthy again right when we needed him to have an impact," Sullivan South coach Justin Hilton said. "He had a big night, and we're glad to have him back."
The Rebels fired off 21 unanswered points going into halftime. Quarterback Ethan Bergeron scored their first touchdown on a 2-yard keeper, and fullback Eli Topping finished their following drive with his own 2-yard rushing score. A muffed kickoff from East Hamilton helped the Rebels set up their third score. Reed dashed around end out of the wildcat formation from 12 yards out to take a 21-7 halftime lead.
East Hamilton came out with energy in the second half. The Hurricanes' defense finally showed vigor and started to slow the Rebels' offense. Hurricanes receiver Kaunyae Burgans reeled in a 35-yard pass from Eller in the back left corner of the end zone, and kicker Alen Karajic booted a 34-yard field goal to narrow the Sullivan South lead.
However, Sullivan South's Reed added another score on 15-yard scamper to raise the margin to 28-17. On the ensuing kickoff, Hurricanes return man Chandler Foster answered by sprinting 82 yards for a touchdown.
After the teams traded defensive stops, the Rebels started a drive deep on their side of the field with less than two minutes left in the game. On fourth-and-2, Hilton called Reed's number yet again to earn the first down and allow Sullivan South to run out the clock and secure the win.
"Our offensive line got us here. We needed to trust each other and let the chips fall where they may," Hilton said about the gutsy call to go for it on fourth down. "With those guys up front, I really liked our chances."
Said East Hamilton coach Grant Reynolds, who completed his first season leading the Hurricanes: "I want to praise the job our seniors did this season. They bought into the new coaching staff and system and have set the standard for the juniors and sophomores coming up."
Contact Justin Dempsey at sports@timesfreepress.com.