Jaylen Lyles sets new single-game rushing record for Woodruff in the defeat
By Garrett Mitchell
The annual Battle of 221 between Woodruff and Chesnee turned into an offensive onslaught rarely seen in high school football Friday, with the Eagles rushing for an astounding 713 yards on 60 carries in a 71-54 win over the Wolverines.
Chesnee sophomore running back Brymier Miller accounted for 433 rushing yards on 23 carries, scoring five touchdowns. The Eagles became the latest team to lay siege to the beleaguered Wolverine defense, which has now given up 63 and 71 points, respectively, in consecutive games.
The stunning loss spoiled a record-setting night by Woodruff senior running back Jaylen Lyles, who broke the Wolverines’ single-game rushing record with 329 yards on 30 carries and four touchdowns. The previous mark of 312 rushing yards had been held by Shun Tribble since 2011.
Eagles take an early lead
Chesnee had Woodruff chasing from the start.
Receiving the ball first, the Eagles needed just two plays to find the end zone on a 57-yard run by Marquez Franklin. The Wolverines answered with a methodical 14-play drive, capped by a 29-yard touchdown pass from Connor Davis to MiCah McClintock to even the score.
Chesnee, though, ripped off two more scores in quick succession on runs of 25 and 12 yards by Miller to take a 21-7 lead.
Woodruff responded when Lyles ripped off his first long run, going 58 yards to paydirt, with the extra point cutting the deficit to 21-14. After the Wolverines stopped the Eagles on fourth down just across midfield, Lyles struck again from 11 yards out to finish off a 10-play drive.
The Wolverines elected to go for two to try for the lead, but the conversion failed, leaving Woodruff chasing points the rest of the night.
Chesnee quarterback Evan-Reece Lawter scored the first of his four touchdowns on the ensuing drive just before halftime. The Eagles converted their two-point try, taking a 29-20 lead into the break.
Lyles keeps Woodruff within reach
The Wolverines struck first in the third quarter, needing just three plays to find the end zone. A 25-yard strike to Curtis Bell set up Lyles’ third score, a 28-yard run, to cut the Chesnee lead to 29-27.
Woodruff then forced an Eagle punt but could not cash it in. From there, Chesnee would keep the Wolverines at arm’s reach.
Miller busted a 65-yard scoring run to push the score to 36-27, which was quickly answered by a 75-yard burst by Lyles to once again cut the lead to two points at 36-34. That, however, would be as close as the Wolverines would get.
Miller’s fourth touchdown came on a run of 52 yards. Following a 73-yard Brycen Davis punt that pinned Chesnee at its own three-yard line, Miller blasted right up the middle for a 97-yard touchdown to push the Eagles’ lead to 50-34.
Chesnee added three more scores in the fourth quarter on runs of eight, 13 and 11 yards by Lawter. Woodruff’s final scores came on touchdown passes of 14 yards to Brycen Davis and 65 and 22 yards to Bell.
Record night, staggering numbers
When the smoke cleared, the numbers were staggering.
Chesnee finished the night with 721 total yards of offense, attempting just one pass, which was completed to Miller for eight yards. Woodruff had 612 total yards. The teams combined for 1,333 yards of offense and 18 touchdowns.
Aside from Lyles’ record night for the Wolverines, Connor Davis completed 19 of 25 passes for 292 yards and four touchdowns.
Bell finished with eight catches for a career-high 164 yards. He now has 800 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns on the season. McClintock grabbed five passes for 60 yards and his sixth touchdown reception of the year.
The loss drops Woodruff to 4-4 overall and 1-2 in conference play, essentially eliminating the Wolverines from region title contention.
Woodruff looks to regroup against Mountain View Prep this coming Friday, with the Stars also coming off a tough loss to an injury-riddled Clinton team.
