EVANS, Ga. – South Effingham coach Loren Purvis had one eye on the scoreboard clock, another on his exhausted players, and just one thought on his mind – getting out of Evans on Friday night with a second win.
“We’re still not at the point where we understand how good we can be,” Purvis said.
But it’s taking shape. Winless a year ago, South survived the Knights’ march inside the Mustang 10-yard line in the final minute and held on for a 14-10 victory.
Sophomore cornerback Semaj Calhoun’s interception ended Evans’ potential game-winning drive and improved SEHS’ Region 1-5A record to 2-1 (2-3 overall), good for third place in the region standings.
“Every week we’re getting better,” Purvis said. “Even the games we’re not winning, we’re giving ourselves a chance.”
Mustangs show progress
The proof is on the scoreboard. In all five games, South has played opponents tougher than the previous year, twice avenging losses. Last year, the Mustangs fell to Evans 35-0.
But South isn’t looking backward.
“During the week, a lot of people wanted to talk about the Effingham County game (a 49-21 loss), but our kids did a good job getting their focus back on Evans,” Purvis said.
The Mustangs’ focus was tested with adversity on the road. In the first quarter, leading rusher Khyran White was limited after taking a helmet to the knee.
And when Evans pushed ahead in the third quarter, South answered with freshman quarterback Liam Coburn’s short touchdown run to regain the lead, 14-10.
Coburn’s 70-yard pass to Hayden Still down to the Knights’ 8-yard line set up the go-ahead score.
The Mustangs opened the scoring in the second quarter on Coburn’s 40-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Hair. Hair, a senior, finished with two catches for 80 yards.
Defense sets the tone
The night, however, belonged to first-year coordinator Carson McClellan’s defensive unit, which held its third opponent this season under 15 points.
Last year, SEHS surrendered an average of 46 points per game.
“I think Carson’s doing a great job getting kids in the right positions to make plays,” Purvis said. “Having the kids believe in each other and their coaches was a problem we sometimes had last year.”
Looking ahead
Next Friday, the Mustangs will have a shot at going 3-for-3 against Augusta-area schools when they host Greenbrier for homecoming.
SEHS snapped a 13-game losing streak earlier in the season by defeating Lakeside 20-14 in overtime. Purvis sees Evans’ 15-point win over Lakeside as a barometer for his team’s growth.
“From our scrimmage against Screven County to (the season-opener with) New Hampstead, we showed progress and it has been that way every week,” Purvis said. “We were better against Evans than two weeks ago against Lakeside, and we’ve put ourselves in position to play big games in the second half of the season.”
