Gamecocks advance in playoffs, Brown breaks rushing record

New Brockton shut out Keith in the second half, and NBHS running back Jahari Brown broke the school's career rushing record as the Gamecocks won 45-16 in the first round of the Class 2A state playoffs.

“I hope they understand the historical nature of this,” New Brockton football coach Justin Jones said of the playoff victory. “This has only been done a few times. We talk about next steps for our program. This is one of those steps that had to be taken. Are we proud of what we've done? Yes. Are we pleased? No, we're not, because we've got bigger goals in mind. It was good defensively for us to bounce back and play well. Offensively (it was good) to continue to be able to do what we've been doing for about five or six weeks now.”

First Quarter

Keith recovered an onside kick to start the game, but the Gamecock defense forced a turnover on downs.

Clay Kelley put New Brockton ahead with 8:16 to play in the first quarter when he took a direct snap for a 2-yard touchdown. 

Max Weeks' extra point gave NBHS a 7-0 lead.

Brown scored on a 58-yard run when he took a direct snap to the end zone.

The direct snap has given the Gamecocks a decided advantage on the ground in recent weeks, and Jones said it has created problems for opposing defenses.

“It's helped us,” he said. “It's given us some mismatch problems in the teams we've played. It's built a lot of confidence in our team, in our offense, just having that to be able to go to. It's been successful. It's a way to get what we feel like are our game changers a chance to touch the football directly.”

The success of the direct snap has been made possible by solid blocking up front and on the perimeter.

“Any time you are able to run the football well, you've got to be able to block well up front and understand schemes,” Jones said. “Those (long) runs happen because you've got guys on the edge blocking well. That's always been something we've tried to pride ourselves in. Those guys understand, 'I'm going to do my job here, and when my time comes make sure I take advantage of it.' Those guys have done a really good job. If they don't block, those runs become about 10 or 12 yards. When they start blocking and they get going, those runs become big chunks of change.”

The extra point after the score was no good, but the Gamecocks led 13-0 with 5:58 to play in the first quarter.

New Brockton widened its lead to 21-0 when Kelley scored on an 8-yard run and Brown added the two-point conversion with 2:34 in the first quarter.

Keith got on the board with a 46-yard touchdown run. The two-point try was good, and whittled the NBHS lead to 21-8 with 33 seconds to play in the opening frame.

Brown broke Lee Flowers' school rushing record when he surpassed 5,118 yards on a 41-yard run at the end of the first quarter, and New Brockton carried its 21-8 lead into the second frame.

“When we talked about it after the game, his demeanor, how he handled it, was really (good),” Jones said. “His teammates appreciate that. He's not boastful about it or anything like that. He understands it only happened because of other people blocking for (him) and him being able to take care of the rest. It's a big team deal. It was pretty cool for us to be able to acknowledge it.”

Brown had 196 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries to lead the Gamecock rushing attack in the record-breaking effort.

“It's a great honor,” he said of the record. “It's something I worked hard for for a long time. I just thank God.”

Second Quarter

The running back scored again on a 1-yard run, and Weeks kicked the extra point to give New Brockton a 28-8 lead with 10:46 to play in the first half.

The Bears scored their final touchdown on an 8-yard bootleg pass on fourth and goal. The two-point play was good to cut the Gamecocks' lead to 28-16 with 7:38 left in the second quarter. 

Brown broke loose for a 62-yard touchdown run from a direct snap and scored.

Weeks' point after was good, and NBHS led 35-16 with 7:13 to go in the second quarter.

Kelley took another direct snap 44 yards to the end zone with 4:47 in the second quarter.

New Brockton widened its lead to 42-16 with Weeks' extra point.

Keith picked off a pass, but the clock expired and the Gamecocks carried the advantage into the locker room at the half.

Third Quarter

Weeks added a 25-yard field goal with 6:24 to play in the third quarter, and New Brockton had its final 45-16 margin.

Fourth Quarter

After a New Brockton fumble, Taylor Nix-Carter forced Keith to fumble the ball right back and Hunter Savage recovered for the Gamecocks. 

NBHS couldn’t cash in on the turnover, but sealed the win.

Isaiah Donaldson and Chase Cardwell led NBHS with 12 tackles each. The defense allowed 369 yards, but went back to basics in practice before the game.

“We played extremely hard,” Jones said. “We kind of went back last week and started focusing on making sure we've got 11 men around the football. We did that last week at practice, and it seemed to pay off for us on Friday night. We had a lot of guys getting off blocks and just running to the football.”

The Gamecocks will advance to the second round at 7 p.m. Nov. 11 against G.W. Long on the road after the first-round victory.

“It was a good win for us,” Jones said. “Keith's got a good ball team. They're very athletic. We were just able to kind of impose our will the first half, and that really helped us build confidence in what we were doing.”