Byrnes football’s high-powered offense has battled through some hiccups and tough matchups to begin the season.
On Friday night vs. Spartanburg, however, it all came together.
Byrnes put together its best offensive performance of the season, scoring seven touchdowns on 10 drives in a 49-21 victory over the Vikings.
“I feel like this is the first night we really started clicking,” said Byrnes QB Gideon Merhib. “We finally got to put together a solid three quarters as a unit. We were iffy that first full game at Dorman [in week two] and with some of these lightning delays, it’s been hard.”
The lightning bug once again bit Byrnes on Friday night, unfortunately, stopping the game after just half of the first quarter.
In four games played for the Rebels, all four have been delayed or suspended due to lightning in the area. But this time, the Rebel offense came out of the break on fire.
Merhib threw for 199 yards and three touchdowns in his best performance of the season so far. Two of those touchdowns went to TE Adrian Harris, who has been one of Merhib’s favorite targets early in the year.
“I came into this year wanting to build trust with my quarterback,” said Harris. “I want them to know I’m going to be open and trust I’ll catch the ball. They know I’m ready, always.”
“The sky is the limit for us right now,” said Merhib. “The more games we get under our belt like this as an offense, the better we will keep being.”
In the first half, both Byrnes and Spartanburg seemed to be trading touchdowns on every drive. With the score 28-21 in favor of the Rebels, it felt as if the team that had the ball last would likely emerge victorious.
But the Rebel defense came out of halftime locked in, pitching a shutout the rest of the way.
“I thought [defensive coordinator Fred] Cross and his staff did a great job of getting their guys ready to go after halftime,” said Byrnes head coach Reggie Shaw. “They made some adjustments and moved some pieces around. I’m really proud of how they responded.”
Byrnes will now turn its attention to one more non-region contest, this one at home next Friday against rival Gaffney. Things are starting to trend in a good direction for the Rebels, who have eyes on a region title and a deep playoff run.
“There are some things we’ve got to improve on, particularly tackling and kickoff coverage,” said Shaw. “Too many penalties on offense, too many holding calls. Got to keep our hands inside. But I liked a lot from what I saw from these guys tonight, and I like the direction this team is headed.”
BOX SCORE
Byrnes 14 14 21 0 49
Spartanburg 14 7 0 0 21
Passing
Byrnes: Gideon Merhib - 15/20 passing, 199 yards, 3 TDs
Spartanburg: Chris Colin - 5/18 passing, 81 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing
Byrnes: Tre’ Segarra - 12 carries, 124 yards, 2 TDs | Jacobi Fuller - 10 carries, 36 yards, TD | Kylik Wilkie - 6 carries, 80 yards
Spartanburg: Trenton Lynch - 23 carries, 226 yards, TD | Jordyn Geter - 6 carries, 63 yards
Receiving
Byrnes: Nic Watson - 7 rec, 78 yards, TD | Adrian Harris - 2 rec, 78 yards, 2 TDs | Isaiah Robinson - 2 rec, 15 yards
Spartanburg: Tregan Mickler - 3 rec, 58 yards, 2 TDs | Skyler Douglas - 1 rec, 18 yards
Defense
Byrnes: Wyquial Moss - 10 tackles, 0.5 TFL | Gabe Hinton - 5 tackles, 0.5 TFL | Emerson James - 4 tackles, TFL
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