High school football: Kyree Edwards rushes for three scores as Williston tops Newberry

WILLISTON — Hank Williams Jr.'s rendition of the NFL's "Monday Night Football" theme was pushed through the speakers of Williston's Booster Stadium, setting the mood for the rare Monday night football game that was set to take place.

After Hurricane Ian threatened the Gainesville area, forcing local high school football teams to cancel or reschedule last week's contests, like most, the Williston Red Devils (5-0) and Newberry Panthers (3-2) opted for a Monday-night matchup.

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And by the end of Monday's game, which featured the coolest weather of the season, Williston came out on top 42-19, maintaining its undefeated start to the season.

"It was definitely different," Newberry head coach Ed Johnson said of Monday's matchup. "We got to practice a little bit this weekend. But that was not the issue tonight. They're just a better team than us and we've gotta catch up to them."

Here are takeaways from the all-Class 1R matchup.

Williston's offense is dizzying

There's a saying in football that "one good fake is worth two good blocks". And the Red Devils' offense is living proof of that.

When first-year head coach Robby Pruitt arrived in Williston, it was expected that he'd bring with him a Wing-T offense, which has become the Hall-of-Fame coach's bread and butter throughout his 40-year coaching career.

"I've been doing it a long time," Pruitt said. "It's a little bit different than what everyone else does now. We're in the modern era of the spread and the gun ... and it's just a little bit different. A lot of moving parts."

When the Red Devils are in possession of the football, opposing defenses are left reeling to crack the code and decipher which running back has the football.

And fortunately for Williston, but unfortunately for opposing defenses, the Red Devils have no shortage of weapons — making the puzzle that much harder to solve.

In Monday's win, three different running backs found the end zone, in addition to a touchdown through the air.

Williston junior Jharez Williams (47-yard TD), senior Kyree Edwards (39-yard TD, 29-yard TD, 32-yard TD) and junior Jace McDonald (8-yard TD) all recorded rushing touchdowns for the Red Devils, while a 21-yard touchdown connection between junior quarterback Shooby Coleman and junior Javon Brown accounted for the sixth touchdown.

Kyree Edwards' impressive season continues

Edwards was bound to have a stellar senior campaign regardless of which uniform he wore in 2022.

After spending his first three years at Gainesville, where he likely would have been the leading rusher this season had he stayed, Edwards elected to take his talents southwest of the city limits and play for Pruitt and the Red Devils.

"He's a great kid," Pruitt said of Edwards. "He's a great person, first. And he's suited awesome for what we do in that position ... strong and low. He's been a big leader for us."

Edwards' performance on Monday night will be the third time this season he's tallied three or more trips to the end zone having tallied four against Dixie County on Sept. 8 and three against Fort White on Sept. 23.

The senior running back now has 13 rushing touchdowns on the season, which is three more than he posted in his junior season.

"When you've got a guy like 22 that you can put it in his belly, it makes it a lot more difficult," Johnson said of Edwards' impact on the Williston offense.

Keil McGriff's ceiling is high

Newberry's offense isn't just young, it's really young.

The Panthers are piloted by freshman quarterback Keil McGriff, who is joined in the backfield by freshman running back Kaleb Woods.

And when two of the biggest pieces of your offense are rookies, there's bound to be some growing pains — and there have been. But there's also a ton of potential that has been shown from the two.

In Monday's loss to Williston, McGriff and the Panthers exploited Williston's weaker point on defense — the Red Devils' secondary.

While Newberry struggled to establish the run game early, the Panthers later found success through the air thanks to some big throws from McGriff.

In  its first possession of the second half, Newberry came out swinging on a drive that saw McGriff go 3-for-4 for 36 yards — including a 17-yard touchdown pass to senior Michael Moore.

McGriff's strike to Moore was the tandem's second score of the night.

"He's learning. He's learning on the job," Johnson said of McGriff. "I'm excited to have him. I see him grow every day. He's going to be a really, really good player for us. We just gotta stay the course and keep getting better."

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Kyree Edwards, Williston's deceptive offense too much for Newberry