Summerville - Goose Creek inched closer to a fifth consecutive region title with a 29-25 win at Cane Bay on Friday night.
The Gators improved to 3-5 overall but 2-0 in region 6-AAAAA play while the Cobras dropped to 5-3 overall and 2-1 in league play.
The Gators have remaining region games with Wando and Stratford.
Sophomore running back Meliq McGowan rushed for 276 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning 49-yard run in the fourth quarter to lead the Gators.
“We’re getting better each week,” Goose Creek head coach Jason Winstead said. “People don’t realize how inexperienced we were when we started. We started seven sophomores and a freshman tonight. We’re down a few receivers. We have a sophomore quarterback and only one returning offensive lineman. But they are working hard and showing improvement, across the board.”
Goose Creek’s overall record this season is a bit deceiving when considering the early schedule. The five losses came to South Florence, Sumter, Beaufort, Fort Dorchester and Summerville.
Austin Seabrook rushed for 135 yards for Cane Bay. Deshawn Tompkins added 100 yards on the ground.
Goose Creek came into the game averaging nearly 30 points per game and had been effective in scoring quickly on their most successful nights.
The Gators opened the game with a 70-yard drive on six plays with McGowan scoring from 16 yards out. The extra point was no good, leaving the Gators with a 6-0 lead less than two minutes into the contest.
Cane Bay’s double-wing run-oriented offense, which consumes clock with long drives, was equally effective on its first possession. The Cobras went 80 yards on 10 plays with their first possession. Tompkins put the Cobras up, 7-6, with six minutes left in the first quarter.
Cane Bay got a fourth down stop deep in their own end and capitalized with a three-yard run by Langston Rhodes on the first play of the second quarter. The score was set up by a 60-yard run by Seabrook and a 13-yard keeper by quarterback Mark Stewart. A successful two-point conversion pushed the Cane Bay lead to 15-6.
McGowan, who gained 153 yards in the first half, scored on a 10-yard run with 3:50 remaining in the half, cutting the lead to 15-13. Cane Bay fumbled on their next possession and the Gators were able to secure a 20-yard field goal from Owen Freres to give Goose Creek a 16-15 halftime lead.
Cane Bay opened the third quarter with a 70-yard drive, all on the ground. Tompkins had 31 yards on the drive, including an 18-yard score to give Cane Bay a 22-16 lead with 8:13 left in the period.
The Gators answered quickly, driving 67 yards on nine plays with quarterback Kymani Clary scoring from two yards out. The extra point was blocked, leaving the game tied at 22.
Cane Bay chewed off most of the remaining five minutes of the third quarter and took a 25-22 lead on Parker Osborne’s 37-yard field goal with :47 seconds remaining in the period.
Each team posted fourth down stops to end threats but Goose Creek broke through midway through the fourth as McGowan went 49 yards for a score to give the Gators a 29-25 lead with 7:22 left in the game.
After forcing a punt, the Gators took over with five minutes remaining at the Cane Bay 44-yard line, The Gators used more than two minutes off the clock and faced fourth-and-six from the Cane Bay 30-yard line. An incomplete pass turned the ball over downs with 2:33 remaining.
Seabrook ran for 18 yards on first down to get the Cobras near midfield. But the Gators came up with one last stop, gaining possession at their own 47-yard line with less than two minutes remaining.
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