Hilton Head Prep shuts out Palmetto Christian, reaches .500
When Tyler Fox knifed into the end zone with 5:22 remaining in the first quarter Friday evening, it looked like Hilton Head Prep was well on its way to a rout of winless Palmetto Christian.
Instead, the Dolphins played aimlessly for the next quarter and a half, leaving the door open for an Eagles comeback.
But it was the third-quarter play of Fox and a stout defensive effort that righted the ship and led Hilton Head Prep to a 24-0 shutout of Palmetto Christian to get back to .500 (2-2).
"We started out strong," Hilton Head Prep head coach Kevin Wald said. "We got a little sluggish in the second quarter, offensively. In the third quarter, we picked it up and exposed some of their weaknesses."
On the Dolphins' opening drive of the third quarter, Fox took control. He ran three times for 34 yards, then completed a 19-yard pass to a diving E.J. Churchich to put the Dolphins at the Eagles' 1.
Two plays later, Fox plunged in for his second touchdown.
Three minutes later, Fox again found Churchich. This time it was in the corner of the end zone for a 25-yard scoring strike.
And that was all the Dolphins needed.
"Several times he was inches from breaking one and taking it all the way," Wald said of Fox. "He really picked it up. And I thought he got stronger as the game went on."
In addition to Fox turning up the heat, the Dolphins defense got even more physical than it already was.
A depleted Eagles squad -- Palmetto Christian (0-4) started the game with 15 healthy players -- was simply overwhelmed.
"We work on (being physical) every day," Wald said.
Now, with the Dolphins facing a 1-4 Curtis Baptist team next week, Prep could move above .500 for the first time this season.
"This was a big win for us," Wald said. "A chance to get a winning streak and some momentum for our kids to build some confidence."
Hilton Head Prep 24, Palmetto Christian 0
PC 0 0 0 0 -- 0
HHP 10 0 14 0 -- 24
First quarter
HHP -- Waddy Brooks 46 FG, 8:01
HHP -- Tyler Fox 5 run (Brooks kick), 5:22
Third quarter
HHP -- Fox 1 run (Brooks kick), 7:57
HHP -- E.J. Churchich 25 pass fro Fox (Brooks kick), 4:58
This story was originally published September 19, 2015 at 12:14 AM with the headline "Hilton Head Prep shuts out Palmetto Christian, reaches .500."