EASLEY — Easley closed out its football season with a 4-7 record last Friday night, falling 28-21 to Midland Valley in the first round of the playoffs.
The Mustangs improved to 11-0 on the season.
Once again, Easley jumped out to an early lead on a QB keeper from senior Will Patton. The Green Wave, which trailed 21-14 at halftime, also had a 15-yard TD run by Logan Sullivan.
The other touchdown for Easley happened with 7:03 left in the third quarter, when Patton threw a 27-yard touchdown strike to Talan Scott.
Offensively, Patton finished the game with 23 rushes for 118 yards. He also completed 8-of-16 passes for 100 yards.
Defensively for Easley, Scott led the way with 18 total tackles (9 solos). Landon Santana (6 solos), Kyler Turner (3 solos), Luke Peoples (2 solos) and Danell Roberts (2 solos) each had 9 tackles apiece.
Scott and senior season: Overall, Talan Scott finished up his senior season of football with 110 total tackles (59 solos) and 15 tackles for a loss. He had 5.5 sacks, one interception, one fumble recovery, two forced fumbles and one blocked punt.
Watkins and varsity: There’s an old saying in sports: “The best thing about a freshman is that they eventually become a sophomore.”
But this past season, Easley freshman Cole Watkins gained some valuable experience as an offensive lineman for the Green Wave football team. Four games into the season, he jumped into the starting role as the offensive center.
“It’s been challenging – working against faster and bigger guys,” said the 6-foot-1 and 243-pound Watkins.
The 14-year-old Watkins said he hopes to go to more camps, get bigger and stronger and continue to wrestle as a two-sport athlete.
Offensive line coach Ivan Raymond said he hopes that Watkins continues to be a “sponge” and to learn as much as he can. He’s also a big fan of the Easley football players going out for wrestling, too.
“(He needs to) just find out what it takes to be successful at this level,” said Coach Raymond. “The more you know, the more you understand how to play. The game will slow down and get a lot easier. Those are the things we talk about every single day. If I could, I’d have all my lineman wrestle. The one-on-one battles you have to win in wrestling translates into football>