KENNEDY 46, LBC 0
AIKEN – The cries coming from the Kennedy bench Wednesday night were those of coaches wanting more from their players.
“That’s too much!” “Too many meters!”
Any South Aiken fan who could only listen to the Aiken County High School Championship game could deduce that Kennedy’s defense was having a hard time stopping Langley-Bath-Clearwater.
It turns out that’s simply the standard Kennedy has set for himself by allowing just six points all season, and those six weren’t scored on Wednesday. The Eagles capped an 8-0 run with their sixth straight shutout and a 46-0 victory in the title game under first-year head coach Tim Roberts.
Kennedy, which has outscored opponents 233-6 this season, outscored LBC (6-2) 363-99 and made one big play after another on offense, while the defense only allowed the Lions to average just over three yards per play.
Shakeem Price stood out as the most lethal of Kennedy’s home run threats, needing just six carries for 161 yards and two touchdowns. He got the Eagles on the board with a 23-yard touchdown run with 2:24 left in the first quarter for an 8-0 lead, then virtually ended the game with a 54-yard scoring burst on the first play of the third quarter to make the score 32-0.
Kaden Jordan ran for 70 yards and a touchdown while leading the defensive attack, coming home charge after charge. Alijah Vincent took a quick 20-yard pass from AJ Hamilton to score early in the second quarter and take a 16-0 lead. Amari Washington, who earlier in the game recovered a fumble deep in LBC territory, took his only carry of the game 30 yards for a 38-0 lead, and a limping Hamilton capped the scoring with a 29-yard keeper with 5:43 left.
Meanwhile, the defense was preventing the LBC offense from generating any kind of momentum. Tanner Tinsley led the way with 45 yards on 10 carries after replacing quarterback Xavien Cooks, who was held to 22 yards on 13 carries.
The shutout was a fitting way for Kennedy to end the season. The Eagles allowed their only points of the year in the second game, a 30-6 win over Silver Bluff, and then didn’t allow another score the rest of the game. Their toughest test came in the semifinals against Highland Springs, a 6-0 victory on the slope to earn a shot at the championship.
That turned out to be business as usual for the Eagles, who were to everyone else what their defensive coaches were shouting about Wednesday.
Too many meters. Too much.