For the first time in 18 seasons, the Hoggard football team was missing its staple on the sidelines to start the year as Coach Scott Braswell takes his leave of absence to undergo surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his lower back.
Braswell was with the team on Friday night, but severe weather moved the game to Monday and the longtime coach held his final practice over the weekend before his trip to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
“It’s definitely an adversity we have to overcome,” said senior captain Julius Reynolds. “Coach Braswell told us before he left that we have great coaches and that the leaders on this team need to step up.
“I met Coach Braswell for the first time at Roland-Grise Middle School and he’s been pushing me ever since. He’s always telling me that I can be better. He’s pretty much been like a father figure to me on the football field.”
As for Monday’s game, the defending Mideastern Conference champions jumped out to a four-score lead at the end of the first quarter and cruised to a 48-6 win over South Columbus.
In an excellent display of what Braswell has meant to the program, the Vikings posted a dominating performance on both sides of the ball and showed exactly what Hoggard football has been about for the last two decades.
Keevin Thompson was unstoppable in the backfield with four first half touchdowns. The senior finished with 200 yards rushing on 14 carries, while Reynolds turned in an outstanding effort at middle linebacker with 11 tackles (three for loss), which included a bone-crushing hit just before the half to force a turnover on downs.
“We’re definitely thinking about coach and he’s been there for me all four years here,” said Thompson. “We have a lot of senior leadership on this team and that’s important right now. There’s no letting up.”
At one point late in the first half, Hoggard forced three straight turnovers and used just five plays to put up 21 points. Thompson had a pair of scores on back-to-back runs of 49 yards and a 51 yards.
Sophomore quarterback Bryant Sasser connected with Harrison Smith and Hunter Louthan for a pair of touchdown passes in the win, and Gene Beckwith chipped in with a 12 yard blocked punt return for a score to make it 27-0 after 12 minutes of action.
On the defensive side of the ball, Tra Quan Williams and Carson Wihitaker both recorded an interception, while Yeremiya Andrews, Hashim Michel, Zack Giufree and McKenzie Frazier each had a fumble recovery.
“We need to be smart this week,” said Thompson. “We get back to school and need to make sure we continue to put in the effort at practice. It’s a big week coming leading up to Friday and it’s time to focus in on what we need to do to get better each day.”
Hoggard has two straight road games on the schedule with dates in Conway, South Carolina, on Aug. 29, and Purnell Swett on Sept. 5, before returning home for a matchup against Charlotte Christian on Sept. 12.
“You can’t say enough about what Coach Braswell has meant to Hoggard and the entire football community in this area for the last 20 years,” said senior Austin Shoenleber. “He’s a standup guy, well-respected anywhere he goes, and he’s been just a fixture to football and athletics in Wilmington for such a long time.
“We have a responsibility while he’s away to continue what he’s built over the years and with the first day of school on Tuesday, that starts with tomorrow’s practice heading into a short week going to South Carolina.”
Box score
S. Columbus 0-6-0-0=6
Hoggard 27-21-0-0=48
Scoring summary
First quarter
Hoggard- Bryant Sasser, 15 yard pass to Hunter Louthan, (PAT, Kuhne) 9:05
Hoggard- Keevin Thompson, 44 yard run, 7:31
Hoggard- Keevin Thompson, 4 yard run, (PAT, Kuhne) 3:21
Hoggard-Gene Beckwith, 12 yard blocked punt return. (PAT, Kuhne) 1:53
Second quarter
South Columbus- Jeffrey Daniels, 47 yard interception return, 9:20
Hoggard- Keevin Thompson, 49 yard run, (PAT, Kuhne) 5:12
Hoggard- Bryant Sasser, 8 yard pass to Harrison Smith, (PAT, Kuhne) 4:30
Hoggard- Keevin Thompson, 51 yard run, (PAT, Kuhne) 3:18
Individual leaders-Passing, Hoggard- Bryant Sasser 3-of-4, 28 yards, 2 TD; Rushing, Keevin Thompson 14 carries, 200 yards; 2 TD; Receiving- Harrison Smith, 1 catch, 15 yards; Hunter Louthan. 2 catches, 13 yards; Defense leaders- Julius Reynolds, 11 tackes, 3 for loss; Yeremiya Andrews, two sacks, forced fumble, fumble recovery; Hashim Michel, four tackles (one for loss), fumble recovery.
