Hilton Head Prep loses tough game at home to Colleton Prep
When Colleton Prep quarterback Brian Murdaugh rumbled into the end zone with 2:11 remaining in the third quarter Friday evening at Hilton Head Prep, it looked like he had sealed the deal.
Murdaugh, who had been gashing the Dolphins' defense, put the War Hawks ahead by two scores, and it appeared there wouldn't be much drama.
But just five plays later, all of the momentum had swung back to Hilton Head Prep.
A poor attempt at an onside kick, a 53-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Fox to Mac Orie and a Colleton Prep three-and-out pulled the Dolphins within 22-20 and seemingly on the way to a comeback win.
It never materialized. Hilton Head Prep's offense couldn't muster a fourth quarter score and fell 30-20.
"A couple of plays here or there, and this game could have just have easily gone the other way," Hilton Head Prep head coach Kevin Wald said. "That's athletics. I've been coaching a long time now and won a lot of these close ones like this and lost a lot of them, too. Our kids played hard, they have nothing to be ashamed of. They gave incredible effort, and it could have easily went either way."
The game was the only one involving area teams as nine games were postponed until Monday.
The loss put a damper on a breakthrough game by Orie, Hilton Head Prep's best all-around player Friday. The junior wide receiver/cornerback caught eight passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns.
Wald said moving forward, the Dolphins would try and put the ball in his hands more often.
"Tonight, he played like he did in Week 1 against Bethesda," Wald said.
Orie had several long kick returns that resulted in the War Hawks trying to kick away from him. He made a 23-yard reception for a first down on third-and-21 in the first quarter.
And his interception deep in Prep territory ended a War Hawks scoring threat as the first half ended.
After the Colleton Prep three-and-out, Hilton Head Prep (3-3) drove to the War Hawks 14 where Waddy Brooks attempted a go-ahead field goal. But the usually reliable Brooks missed it badly on the soggy field, and the Dolphins never again seriously threatened.
The next two Hilton Head Prep drives ended in a punt and a fumble by an exhausted Fox, who underthrew several key passes down the stretch. The turnover resulted in a late 4-yard touchdown run by Colleton Prep's Scott Kramer to seal the win.
"It's muddy, it's sloppy," Wald said. "(Fox) had a hard time getting out of the pocket tonight. He made some good passes, but he had a couple tough breaks. That's the way it goes sometimes."
Fox finished 12 for 28 for 162 yards and two touchdowns. Gavin Hurlbut rushed 10 times for 67 yards and a touchdown for the Dolphins.
Murdaugh was the workhorse for the War Hawks (4-2). He rushed 26 times for 136 yards and a score. He completed 9 of 20 passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns, both to Nick Padgett.
COLLETON PREP 30, HILTON HEAD PREP 20
Colleton Prep 8 8 6 8 -- 30
Hilton Head Prep 7 6 7 0 -- 20
First quarter
HHP -- Gavin Hurlbut 6 run (Waddy Brooks kick), 7:08
CP -- Nick Padgett 28 pass from Brian Murdaugh (Murdaugh run), 2:42
Second quarter
CP -- Padgett 10 pass from Murdaugh (Murdaugh run), 9:32
HHP -- Mac Orie 11 pass from Tyler Fox (kick blocked), 6:07
Third quarter
CP -- Murdaugh 7 run (run failed), 2:11
HHP -- Orie 53 pass from Fox (Brooks kick), 1:59
Fourth quarter
CP -- Scott Kramer 4 run (Padgett pass from Murdaugh), 2:11
This story was originally published October 2, 2015 at 10:07 PM with the headline "Hilton Head Prep loses tough game at home to Colleton Prep."