Gray Collegiate took a big step toward securing the 4A Region-4 championship. 

The War Eagles knocked off North Augusta 41-27 on Friday, beating the defending conference champions and 4A state semifinalist from a year ago. 

“ We still have a lot of things that we still have to get better at,” head coach De’Angelo Bryant said. “We want to make sure we're on our Ps and Qs and getting better, so that when we go in the playoffs, we're equipped and able to do a lot of good things, and more than anything, we’ve got to finish to make sure we win this region championship.”

The Yellow Jackets were the biggest obstacle standing in Gray’s way. Now all the War Eagles have to do is take care of business the rest of the way, and the crown is theirs. 

Gray can’t get caught looking too far ahead though. There are plenty of teams in the region who could pull off an upset and spoil the team’s plans. 

“ We’ve got to go to work, and it's our job as coaches to make sure we identify where some of those weaknesses are so that we are not exploited later on down the road,” Bryant said. “We still have a tough schedule.”

The War Eagle offense was electric in the win over North Augusta. The team recorded over 450 yards of offense, including over 350 from the air. 

Freshman quarterback Xavier Wright stepped in another week for an injured Tyler Waller. He was excellent on the night, completing 17-of-23 passes for 376 yards and five touchdowns. 

“ I've been going against our varsity defense since last year, when I played JV,” Wright said. “Going against these great defenses is not really hard because I practice against something like that.”

Wright’s top target was Corey Gleaton, who caught five passes for over 180 yards and two touchdowns. Royce Williamson had two touchdown catches. Trevon Williamson and Hiszari Gantt had multiple catches, and RJ Oliver scored a touchdown. 

North Augusta’s offense was primarily a one-man show. Running back Mike Doe ran for over 300 yards in the first half and had three touchdowns. 

“ They did a great job pounding the football. [Doe] is a tremendous running back. He did a lot of good things,” Bryant said. “We knew in the second half he was one of the keys that we needed to stop.” 

The War Eagles did stop Doe in the second half. They also took control of the game then. 

The two teams played a close first half with North Augusta up 20-17 at halftime. The War Eagles outscored the Yellow Jackets 24-7 in the third and fourth quarters to seal the win. 

“ We gave them a lot in the first half. I didn't feel like they did anything that special that we didn't give them,” Bryant said.  ”My challenge to those guys was really just stop leaving money on the table. We had to cash our check, and that's exactly what we did in the second half.”

Gray came out of the break and struck immediately, scoring in just over three minutes to take a 24-20 lead. 

The War Eagles' defense stood strong on the following North Augusta drive and forced a punt. The ball was marked down inches from the endzone, meaning Gray would need to go 99 yards to score a touchdown.  

That was no problem for Gray as the team struck on the third play of the drive. Wright stepped into the pocket and launched a deep ball, hitting a running Gleaton over the middle of the field. He took the ball and ran it the rest of the way for a 91-yard touchdown play. 

That was just one of many long passing plays the War Eagles had on the night. The team also scored a 51-yard touchdown in the first quarter and a 50-yarder in the fourth.

“ Their safeties kept moving wide, so we kept hitting them with deep crosses,” Wright said. 

Gray went up 14 points after North Augusta fumbled the kickoff following the 91-yard touchdown. The War Eagles jumped on the ball and made a 23-yard field goal on the ensuing possession. 

North Augusta cut the deficit back to seven and scored its only touchdown of the second half on its following drive on a Doe run. Gray’s defense shut Doe down the rest of the game, and North Augusta’s offense went stagnant as a result. 

Gray scored one more touchdown in the game and used the rest of the final quarter to drain the clock. 

The War Eagles are now 3-2 overall this season and 2-0 in region games. The team will be on the field next for a game against cross-county rival Brookland-Cayce. 

Week 5 area scoreboard

Lexington: 35, Laurens: 0

White Knoll: 40, Fort Dorchester: 0

South Aiken: 28, Airport: 15

Midland Valley: 34, Brookland-Cayce: 7

Gray Collegiate: 41, North Augusta: 27

Gilbert: 30, Aiken: 13

Swansea: 36, Columbia: 6

Thomas Sumter: 35, American Leadership: 17

Batesburg-Leesville: 41, Mid-Carolina: 24

Pelion: 48, Eau Claire: 30

Trinity Collegiate: 27, Northside Christian: 0