Hanahan explodes for 42 second-half points in 61-30 victory over Swansea in AAA playoffs
QB Tripp Gallus passes for three touchdowns, runs for one and catches another
Hanahan - Hanahan High School football head coach Milan Turner had seen the film. He had a suspicion visiting
Swansea would provide quite a test for the Hawks in the opening round of the AAA state playoffs on Friday at Wiley Knight Stadium.
Turner was right.
The Hawks needed an explosive second half to pull away for a 61-30 victory over Swansea. Turner’s squad
trailed 23-19 less than three minutes into the second half before breaking it open with 42 points, turning a nailbiter into a blowout.
“I thought we were playing physical early and doing a good job running our scheme,” Turner said. “We went up two scores and then we just had a couple of missed fits. (Swansea) is extremely athletic. They’ve got guys who can run on the edge and make plays. We told them all week we can’t give up the explosives…
“What I was proud of, I told them at halftime we’re winning the game (19-17) and if we just go out and play a little better we can finish this thing.”
Hanahan quarterback Tripp Gallus (6-feet-5-inches, 230 pounds) had a hand in five touchdowns and amassed 240 total yards – 170 yards passing and 70 rushing. The junior threw for three scores, ran for another and even hauled one in on a trick play as the Hawks topped 60 points in a game for the first time since scoring 63 twice in October, 2021.
Senior receiver Grayson Mathes hauled in four passes for 125 yards, including a 71-yarder to spark Hanahan’s
28-point fourth quarter. He also put the finishing touch on the rout, breaking off a 70-yard kickoff return for a score with just over three minutes left.
In between, backup running back Xavier Sabback reached paydirt twice during the uprising for the Hawks, who improved to 9-2 on the season.
Swansea ends the season 5-6.
Hanahan hosts Oceanside Collegiate Academy (6-3) in the second round on November 13.
The encounter will be the second this season between the teams. In early October, the Landsharks picked up a 31-21 victory in Charleston and eventually went on to claim the Region 5 title.
“Man, what a great football team,” Turner said of the Landsharks, who are the defending AAA state champions. “We played them once and it was a war. It was 24-21 in the fourth quarter with six minutes to go, and we had the ball. We’ve got to be able to finish.
“We’ve got to clean up some mistakes. You make the mistakes we made tonight, you don’t come back against that team.
“We’ve got to heal up, too. Next week is all about the process. You’ve got to have four good days of preparation and
play your best football.”
Swansea went toe to toe with the Hawks in the first half, rallying from a 13-0 first-quarter deficit to lead 14-13 in
the second quarter. Gallus completed a trifecta of sorts to put the home team back on top, 19-13, hauling in a 10-yard touchdown pass from junior receiver Quamell Grant.
Earlier, Gallus scored on a 6-yard run and tossed a 10-yard strike to Grant on Hanahan’s first two possessions.
Swansea pulled within 19-17 on a field goal on the final play of the first half, then put a scare into the Hawks by retaking the lead on a 43-yard run less than three minutes into the second half.
However, Mathes returned the ensuing kickoff to Swansea’s 10 and sophomore running back Nevaehus
Gourdine gave the Hawks a 25-23 lead on a 5-yard run with 8:42 on the clock in the third quarter. Gourdine finished with 120 yards on the ground.
Swansea responded by converting a fourth-and-short at midfield to Hanahan’s 10, but coughed it up on the very
next play. About four minutes later, Gallus found Grant over the middle for nine yards to push the lead back to two
possessions, 33-23.
The fourth quarter was all Hawks as they continued to light up the scoreboard. One of Sabback’s tallies came after a Swansea fumble.
Gallus enters the second round with around 2,700 yards and 30 touchdowns through the air. Grant has 13 touchdown grabs and around 1,200 yards receiving. Mathes has 11 touchdown receptions and just went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season.
Gourdine is over 800 yards rushing. The touchdown was his 18th of the season.
The Hawks are into the second round of the playoffs for the fourth straight season under Turner.
