Byrnes head coach Reggie Shaw knew he had an advantage he could exploit in Friday’s 38-17 5A second round playoff win over Hillcrest.
And he wasn’t shy about using it.
“Tre Segarra,” Shaw said. “Tre Segarra right and Tre Segarra left. We challenged him, we knew he was going to have to carry the load. And we challenged our offensive line to be physical and match that.”
Segarra finished with 120 yards on 22 carries, while missing a big chunk of the second half with cramps, and scored the first two touchdowns of the game to help send the Rebels to an Upper State semifinal rematch with Dutch Fork next Friday.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our coaches and players,” Shaw said.
Byrnes raced out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter before an NY Allen touchdown for Hillcrest cut the margin in half at the beginning of the second quarter.
The Rebels quickly responded as quarterback Gideon Merhib found Isaiah Robinson in the back of the end zone on a seven-yard touchdown pass to put Byrnes on top, 21-7.
The two teams traded field goals to end the first half before a sluggish and scoreless third quarter was marred by penalties on both sides.
Byrnes put the game away in the fourth quarter when Merhib found freshman running back Keilan Franklin on a 25-yard touchdown pass with 11:53 remaining in the game. It was Franklin’s first touchdown on the varsity level.
After getting the ball back, Byrnes running back Jean Ndabian put an exclamation point on the win with a nine-yard touchdown.
“Tre hasn’t had to play four quarters all year so he had some cramps,” Shaw said. “But it’s next guy up and we have four who we think can play really well. I’m proud of all those guys.”
Merhib finished 14 of 21 for 222 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Emerson James hauled in a pair of passes for 53 yards for the Rebels.
Byrnes outgained Hillcrest 434-264 in the win.
The Rebels now turn their attention to Dutch Fork, which defeated Fort Mill 42-14 on Friday night. The Silver Foxes defeated Byrnes 21-0 in the postseason a year ago.
“We know what we have to face,” Shaw said. “And we’re ready for that challenge.”
