By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Turning back the clock
Mustangs alumni top former Rebels
se 9 on the run
South Effinghams Josh Jackson cuts through the Effingham County defense on his way to a first-half touchdown. - photo by Photo by Pat Donahue

There were aches, pains, sores, bleeding gashes — but no hard feelings between former Effingham County High School and South Effingham High School football players Friday night.

The Mustang alumni defended their home stadium with a 23-6 victory at The Corral, in a game organized by gridironalumni.com.

"You can’t lose to those rivals, no matter how long it’s been," said South Effingham’s Chris McCreery, a 2002 graduate. "It still feels pretty good."

South Effingham quarterback Jeff Hamilton was named the game’s most valuable player. A 2007 graduate, Hamilton also served as the Mustangs’ offensive coordinator. Hamilton scored on a 1-yard run on the Mustangs’ opening possession and also threw two touchdown passes.

"We practiced two or three hours every Saturday and Sunday for the past two months," Hamilton said. "We had a good time with it, but we worked hard."

Hamilton connected with former teammate Josh Jackson on a 24-yard TD pass in the second quarter, with Jackson cutting his way through the Effingham defense, and Hamilton hit Waylon Parrish for a two-point conversion, putting the Mustangs up 14-0 midway through the second quarter.

Hamilton also accounted for South Effingham’s last score, a 4-yard TD toss to Garrison Huggins in the fourth quarter.

Effingham County didn’t get into South Effingham’s end zone — quarterback Chris Hamilton slipped and fell in the end zone while trying to avoid the Mustangs’ pass for a second-quarter safety — until late in the fourth quarter.

Two plays after Lucas Hynes collected a 37-yard pass that bounced off a South Effingham defender, Hynes found William Patterson for an 11-yard touchdown pass for the Rebels’ lone score.

"I redeemed myself," Hynes said. "It worked out in the end. We were getting beat at the half, and I wanted to at least put a couple of scores on the board."

In spite of the loss, Hynes was all smiles after the game. He was anxious for the game to take place.

"For two days, I haven’t slept well. I haven’t slept well at all," he said.

When the event was announced, Hynes was eager to sign up for it.

"I’m in the military, so I stay in pretty good shape," said Hynes, who is a combat veteran. "This is a little different from carrying a gun and wearing a uniform. It was definitely fun."

McCreery played semi-professional football and a year of indoor ball. He wasn’t one of the first to sign up, but he was glad he did.

"It took me a while," he said. "I’ve been out of football for a while. It took a while to get into it, but I couldn’t hold out for too long. It was good to get back out there among a bunch of friends. It’s been 10 years for me, so it’s good for me to get out here and see some old faces, some new faces, as well as the guys from Effingham."

Jeff Hamilton couldn’t wait to get back on the field — "I signed up the day after I heard" — and he too expressed how much fun he had.

Hynes too enjoyed it, and he relished getting to renew acquaintances with Mustangs he knew in high school and in college.

"It was a blast," he said.

Many of the players were in their 20s, some in their 30s. Roger Scott was the oldest player on the field, and he lined up in the backfield for a handful of plays in the second half.

Scott got the ball when the Rebels were at the Mustangs’ 2-yard line in the waning seconds, but the South Effingham defense swarmed over him before he could get to the goal line.

"I wanted that touchdown really, really bad," he said. "They missed a block on me."

Like his teammates and his counterparts, Scott noted how much fun he had playing the game, even if he was a little bit older than anybody else in a helmet and pads.

"I am the oldest player on the team, and it was a blessing to see I could still hang with the young men," he said. "I feel good. I feel I could run the Boston Marathon right about now."

Organizers are aiming to have another game next year and while the result wasn’t what Hynes was looking for, he’s already looking forward to a rematch.

"I dang sure didn’t want to lose," he said, "but there’s always next year. Hopefully, there’s next month. I’d like to do it sooner."