Gaffney’s Jayvon Gilmore was 6 of 11 for 66 yards in a win over J.L. Mann on Friday at The Reservation.
Gaffney quarterbacks did more damage with their legs than their arms in a 28-0 win over J.L. Mann on Friday.
Banks Bouton rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown and Jayvon Gilmore had 5 carries for 24 carries for a combined 115 yards. The pair threw for just 66 yards, including Gilmore’s pass to Shun Rogers, who ran a short route and turned it into a 51-yard TD.
The Gaffney defense held the Patriots to only 126 total yards and has now gone six quarters without giving up a point, including the final two against Independence in the season opener.
Donnie Littlejohn, who was named Gaffney’s head coach in January, also posted his first win, and received a game ball by GHS AD Malcolm Long following the game.
“I’m happy we won the game,” Littlejohn said. “It was a team win. We focused on things to correct our mistakes from the week before.”
One of the things was communication issues, which was addressed by moving Gaffney DC Ian Cooper from upstairs to the sidelines.
That result speaks for itself.
“I thought the defense and special teams put together two halves and that’s what we wanted,” Littlejohn said.
The offense, though, still has some tinkering, especially in the passing game.
Gilmore was 6 of 11 for 66 yards. Banks wasn’t credited with a completion, although he did throw a long TD strike that was called back by holding.
Littlejohn said the Indians will figure out its passing game woes.
Gaffney scored on its second possession when Gilmore hit Rogers on a short route and used his speed to turn it into a 51-yard touchdown with 1:21 to go in the first quarter.
The Patriots were driving inside Indian territory when on a first and 10 at the GHS 30, Gaffney linebacker Kendarius Bailey wrestled the ball away from a JL Mann running back and after eluding some traffic, raced 70 yards for a score to put the Indians up 14-0.
On the Indians’ next possession and with Banks under center, they drove 72 yards, mainly on legs of Banks for another touchdown that was capped — fittingly enough on a 3-yard Banks run.
Gaffney tacked on a final score in the fourth quarter on a Josiah Hill 4-yard run.
The game marked the return of former GHS DC Bryce Smiley who was hired as J.L. Mann’s head coach earlier this year.
Gaffney is away from The Reservation for the first time this year at Greenville on Friday.
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