BY SAMUEL JONES
THE OBSERVER
BEAUREGARD — Beauregard High School (0-3, 0-1) struggled to find its footing as Greenville High School (2-1, 1-0) jumped out to an early lead and went on to defeat the Hornets 35-0 at Hornet Stadium Friday, Sept. 4.
The Tigers controlled the game from the opening possession, putting together a 10 play, 65-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard touchdown pass from James Reynolds to Jaylen Elliot with 6:59 remaining in the first quarter.
Greenville attempted an onside kick following the TD and recovered it, giving the Tigers the ball right back. On the very next play, Reynolds connected with Cedric Morris for a 42-yard TD, quickly pushing Greenville’s lead to 16-0.
The Tigers continued to attack through the air on their next scoring drive. Reynolds found Morris again, this time for a 35-yard TD with 4:09 left in the first quarter. The extra point was blocked, but Greenville had already built a 22-0 lead.
Beauregard struggled to generate offense in response as Greenville’s defense kept the Hornets from building any rhythm. The early deficit also forced Beauregard to play from behind for most of the night, limiting its ability to establish the offense it wanted.
Greenville added its fourth TD in the second quarter when Reynolds scored on a 5-yard run with 7:13 remaining. The extra point was unsuccessful, but the Tigers carried a 28-0 lead into halftime.
Beauregard’s best opportunity to get on the scoreboard came late in the second quarter.
The Hornets moved the ball down the field and reached the Greenville 25 yard line, but the drive ended with an interception with less than 30 seconds remaining before halftime.
Beauregard also had difficulty getting its run game going as Greenville continued to keeping the Hornets from finding open running lanes. With little production through the air or on the ground, Beauregard was unable to sustain drives and put points on the board.
Greenville added its final points midway through the third quarter. Reynolds connected with Javon Tyson for a 13-yard TD with 3:48 remaining in the period, extending the Tigers’ lead to 35-0.
Neither team scored in the fourth quarter, allowing Greenville to complete the shutout.
The loss marked Beauregard’s second shutout defeat in its first three games of the season. The Hornets will look to get into the win column Friday, Sept. 11, when they travel to face Charles Henderson High School (1-1, 0-1) at Troy’s Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Trojans are coming off a 31-14 loss to Valley High School (2-0, 1-0).
