So you think you can dance? Eagles know they can

ORANGEBURG -- After a waltz with the Wildcat, an ill-timed tango with a 6-foot-7 receiver running a quarterback sneak and a too-greedy two-step with the two-minute drill, Tommy Lewis went to the locker room at halftime and made his easiest and best decision of the night.

He told his Hilton Head Christian Academy football team that when the Eagles returned to the dance floor, they would dance with the girl they brought.

"During halftime coach really calmed us down," junior running back Eric Farr said. "He told us we had this game and that he knew we were the better team. He just told us what to do, and we listened to him. He said to act like it was a normal game.

"And it worked out fine."

It worked out better than fine.

After fumbling around like an awkward eighth-grader with two left feet in the first half -- literally, two Eagles fumbles set up two Northwood Academy touchdowns and gave the Chargers a one-point halftime lead -- the Eagles had all the right moves in the second half, pulling away for a 33-14 victory and claiming their second SCISAA Class 2-A title in four years.

It is a natural tendency on such a grand stage to try to do too much, but the Eagles reclaimed the title from the defending champion Chargers by doing what they've done all year.

"If anybody needs to heed that lesson, it's probably (me) more than anyone," Lewis said. "With the guys, we certainly preached all week that great plays happen when you just do your job and do it in an excellent manner.

"We knew if everybody just did their job and did it well, we would be OK."

Their flings with unnecessary improv behind them, the Eagles came back from the locker room and went to work.

Junior quarterback Luke Sirgo made smart reads -- he took what the defense gave him, as Lewis likes to preach -- finding Alex Martin and Gort for long touchdown passes, Farr provided just enough balance in the running game, and the Eagles' defense did what it has done all season, slowing down Northwood star Uriah Singleton and shutting out the Chargers in the second half.

"It was just a matter of coming in at halftime and making sure the guys knew that we still needed to battle and we still had 24 minutes to go in the game," Lewis said. "And we're down by 1 -- it's not like we're losing by two or three touchdowns. It was just a matter of keep plugging away, and you hope that things come together, and that's exactly what happened."

The offense went right to work in the second half, regaining the lead on Sirgo's 38-yard strike to Martin, who streaked down the left sideline for his second touchdown in two weeks. On the next drive, it was Gort, running uncovered down the right sideline for a touchdown on fourth down and an insurmountable lead with Hilton Head Christian's defense dominating.

About that defense ...

The Chargers' only touchdowns came on drives of 19 and 11 yards after Christian Academy fumbles. The Eagles held Singleton under 100 yards rushing for the second time this season -- he was kept below 100 only one other time, against Pinewood Prep -- and they kept pressure on quarterback Ty Powell, preventing the Chargers from getting anything going in the passing game.

"We're not going to try to come up with anything new or different just because they come up with a big play or two," Lewis said. "(Defensive coordinator) Vinnie (Emery) is going to stick with his game plan, because he knows that it works and he knows he has the guys to carry it out."

That's dancing with the girl they brought. And after 12 consecutive wins and a state championship, she looks awfully good.