New Brockton JV snaps 3-year losing streak

Those cheers you heard from Warhawk Stadium that echoed all the way to New Brockton High School this past Monday night weren’t just cheers because the Gamecocks defeated Daleville16-0. Those were cheers that had been building up inside the fans, coaches, school and entire football program for a few years.

The JV Gamecocks last won a game on Sept. 5, 2017, against the Kinston Bulldogs, a total of 1,105 days without a win.

The Gamecocks got the ball first and looked to be positioning themselves to score when a bad snap couldn’t be handled and Daleville recovered to stop the momentum the Gamecocks had for the moment.

The Warhawks took over on the 26-yard line but could not do much with it against a stingy New Brockton defense with Logan McCoy making a critical tackle on fourth and six and getting the Gamecocks the ball back.

The Gamecocks then turned to the legs of McCoy, who took a hand off from quarterback Hunter White and rumbled 16 yards for the first score of the game. With the successful two-point conversion, the Gamecocks led 8-0 with 7:50 left in the second quarter.

After another fourth down attempt by Daleville on its next possession, the Gamecock defense stood its ground and got another turn over on downs and took over at midfield.

After a few plays, and a running clock, the Gamecocks faced its own fourth down decision and went for it. The Gamecocks converted the fourth down attempt on a run by quarterback Baylon Foster, picking up 7 yards on the fourth-and-six.

On the next play, Foster set the Gamecocks up with a first-and-goal with a 21-yard QB scramble. With 30 seconds left in the half, McCoy found the end zone again from two yards out and also converted the two-point conversion to put his team up 16-0 going into halftime.

The Daleville Warhawks came out to start the second half with a 10-play drive that once again ended on a fourth down try when McCoy and White stopped the ball carrier at the 31-yard line.

As the Gamecocks took the field on offense, again they turned to the legs of McCoy to protect the ball and run the clock with a 16-0 lead as the fourth quarter started.

The Gamecocks ran 6:30 off the clock when they faced a fourth down and punted the ball back giving Daleville the ball at the 20-yard line. After four plays for the Warhawks, the clock hit 0:00 and the celebration on the Gamecock sideline was full of smiles, high fives and hugs.

The kids on that sideline had a goal of ending the long losing streak for the JV team. They learned so much more than just about football that night, they learned that hard work and preservation pay off in the long run.

The stingy Gamecock defense gave up only 90 yards for the night, led by Jackson Lawson, Riley Simmons and Logan McCoy with four tackles each. McCoy led the Gamecock offense with 143 yards on 18 carries and two TDs and converted both two-point attempts.

“The young men have work extremely hard this year. To be able to go into a hostile environment with long and rich traditions that the Daleville Warhawks have and for us to come away with a win was huge for our program,” New Brockton JV coach Keith Simmons said. “Now, we have to build on this win and continue to grow. The defense played lights out for four quarters.

“The offense played fast, and ran the ball extremely well. The offensive and defensive line play was the best they have ever played and that’s where the game is won or lost. No one loves these guys more than me and I’m very proud to be their coach,” Simmons said.

The Gamecocks followed up their first win with a 24-0 win over Zion Chapel on Sept. 22.