Camera phones poured out of pockets, purses and belt clips after Friday's Columbia County showdown between Greenbrier and Evans.
It seemed every Evans fan wanted to snap a photo of the big scoreboard that stood beyond the south end zone.
It read: Evans 28, Greenbrier 7.
"We had one goal," Evans coach Marty Jackson said. "Our goal was to win. It didn't matter who scored, who carried the ball or who played. We just wanted to win."
The Knights rushed for almost 200 yards and passed for 125 more and two touchdowns.
The first of those touchdown passes from quarterback Kevin Millward to David Smith came in the first four minutes.
After giving up a touchdown on Greenbrier's first possession of the game, the Evans defense shut out its region rivals the rest of the way. The Knights gave up only one play of more than 20 yards - a 35-yard pass on a drive that eventually ended on a Brandon McCladdie interception.
"You got to give the credit to the D-line tonight," Evans defensive back Trey Henderson Jr. said. "Yeah, we had the interceptions, but we didn't have to do all that much. It was the D-line."
McCladdie's pick was the fourth and final turnover for Greenbrier.
"It was the turnovers," Greenbrier coach Scott Chadwick said. "That was it. That was the difference in the game. We knew we had to play mistake-free football against them, and we didn't."
The Wolfpack fumbled twice, and quarterback Nick Richards threw two interceptions. Evans junior Nigel Charles snatched a pass at the line of scrimmage and rumbled 65 yards for a touchdown.
That score gave Evans a 21-7 lead midway through the third quarter. There wasn't a Knight who thought the game was in hand after last year's miracle comeback by Greenbrier.
"We remembered that from last year," Henderson said. "We've been thinking about those last few seconds all week long. We couldn't let anything like that happen again."
McCladdie's interception with seven minutes left in the game was all the Knights needed. Evans produced a clock-killing, nine-play, six-minute scoring drive that ended with Henderson's six-yard touchdown run for a 28-7 final score.
Reach Billy Byler at (706) 863-6165 or billy.byler@augustachronicle.com.
EVANS 28, GREENBRIER 7
PLAY OF THE GAME: Evans junior Nigel Charles picked off a Nick Richards pass at the line of scrimmage and rumbled 65 yards to the end zone. It gave the Knights a 21-7 lead midway through the third quarter.
WHY EVANS WON: With help from a defensive line that heavily pressured Richards, the Evans secondary took away Greenbrier's passing attack.
WHY GREENBRIER LOST
: The Wolfpack defense couldn't get off the field. The Knights' offensive line pushed them around, allowing Evans to keep moving the chains.STAR OF THE GAME: Evans' David Smith caught both of the Knights touchdown passes.
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