Troy McGowens returns one of his two picked off passes during Friday night’s Easley-Wren game,.
Easley, 8-3, now advances to the playoffs at Beaufort Friday. Former Green Wave star Eric Meekins was one of five inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame Friday night. Meekins’ 1997 team was the last Easley team to complete the regular season undefeated at home. Easley now has the chance to complete the season undefeated at home for the first time since Mike Barnes – also inducted into the schools athletic Hall of Fame Friday night — led the 1972 team to the state championship. The 1997 team lost at home in the playoffs.
The Hurricanes finish the regular season with a 6-5 record, losing three of their last four games. Wren will travel to South Florence Friday night in the first game of the AAAA Division II playoffs.
The game broke a six-game winning streak by Wren in the series against the Green Wave. Wren still leads the series 17-16 all time.
Easley’s last win over Wren came in 2006, when the Green Wave shut out the Hurricanes 28-0 in 2006. The 30 points the Green Wave scored was its best offensive performance against Wren since the 2004 team topped the Hurricanes 48-7.
The game marked the fifth time the Green Wave broke the 30-point margin, a total reached on 12 times in 134 games played since 1998. The 1997 team broke the 30-point margin 6 times.
Chad Smith becomes only the third coach in Easley history to win 8 games or more in his first season. Bill Carr in 1957 and Larry Bagwell in 1967 were the first two.
Wren began its first drive on its own 13-yard line. Quarterback Joey Stansell – playing for injured starter Austin McCaskill, opened the game with a 26-yard run, but an illegal block called trimmed 10 yards off the play. Penalties continued to kill the Hurricanes’ drive, leading to the team punting on a fourth-and-19 play. The Green Wave took over at their own 30.
On Easley’s first play, Trevin Franklin ran for 41 yards to bring the ball to the Wren 29-yard line. Penalties stalled the Green Wave drive, and Easley failed to convert a 47-yard field goal on fourth down.
Wren took over on their own 20 yard line, and began the night’s first scoring drive. After Levi Burton gained 16 yards on two runs, quarterback Caleb McClain, who shared time behind the center with Stansell, connected with Ty Jefferson for a 12-yard pass near midfield.
Jefferson than ran for five yards, followed by a three-yard run by McClain. Levi Buford then ran for five yards for another Wren first down.
After McClain was sacked on first down, the Hurricanes faced a second and 23 situation. McClain cut into the yardage with an 11-yard pass to Brandon Coleman. But after an incomplete pass, the Hurricanes still faced a fourth-and-12 situation at the Easley 41-yard line. But McClain connected with Elliott Caldwell for a 14-yard pass to keep the drive alive.
Wren drove the ball to the Easley 6-yard line by the end of the first quarter, and faced a fourth and one play from there on the first play of the second quarter. McClain connected with Ty Jefferson for a five yard play to give the Hurricanes a first-and-goal situation from the one-yard line. McClain ran in for a touchdown on the next play, and Wren led 7-0.
Easley was unable to move the ball on the next drive, and Wren took over at its own 3 yard line after a Devin Southerland punt. Four plays later Easley’s Troy McGowans intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown from the 25-yard line, tying the game 7-7.
On Wren’s next drive, McGowans again intercepted a pass to give Easley the ball at midfield. Trevin Franklin ran for 13 yards on Easley’s first play, but the Green Wave stalled from there. Sutherland came in and nailed a 48-yard field goal to give Easley a 10-7 lead.
With time running out in the first half, Wren hustled to get another score. Ty Jefferson began the next drive with a 33-yard run, then Joey Stansell completed a pass to Raymond Rogers for 33 yards to the Easley 15-yard line. Stansell then hit John Anderson for a 15-yard touchdown pass, giving the Hurricanes a 14-10 lead at halftime.
Easley lost the ball on a fumble in its first drive of the third quarter, but three plays later the Green Wave regained possession on a fumble midfield.
Easley was unable to move the ball, so Devin Sullivan punted the ball, and the Hurricanes took possession at their own 16-yard line.
Two plays later, Trevin Franklin intercepted a Wren pass at 26-yard line and ran it back to the Wren 7. A personal foul penalty against the Hurricanes gave the Green Wave the ball at the Wren 4.
Franklin took the ball in from there on the next play, giving Easley a 17-14 lead.
Wren was not able to move the ball, and lost possession on a fourth and one play at the Easley 39-yard line. Four plays later, J.R. Crawford scored a touchdown on a 47-yard run to give Easley a 24-14 lead.
Wren cut into the lead early in the fourth quarter as Calem McLain connected with Elliott Caldwell for a 33-yard touchdown pass that pulled the Hurricanes within 3, 24-21.
Easley responded with a 13-play, 64-yard drive tat took more than six minutes off the clock. Easley gave up possession after coming up short on a fourth-and-two play at the Wren 3-yard line.
The Easley defense forced Wren to have three straight incomplete pass. With time running out, the Hurricanes decided to go for it on fourth down, despite being in their own 3-yard line. On the next play, Easley forced a Wren fumble in the end zone and Troy McGowans recovered it for a touchdown. Easley led 30-21 with just 4:09 remaining in the game.
The Hurricanes got one more shot, beginning at their own 27-yard line, but were forced to give up possession after four incomplete passes.
Easley ran time off the clock, driving the ball inside the Wren 10. The Green Wave then took a knee for the final seconds to elapse.
Easley travels to Beaufort Friday night for the first round of the AAAA Division II playoffs. Wren travels to South Florence.
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