Pearl River junior Kendall Twillie stepped up for his Rebel teammates when he was sorely needed Friday and ran for 188 yards and a score, helping his team to a 43-16 victory over Albany on the road. Adding to PRHS’ attack was Jeremiah Levy, who rushed for 75 yards.

Twillie said he got advice from an injured teammate.

“I took tips from (James) Gillum. He was telling me to read the field, so I picked that up, I started reading the field and I was able to break a good long one,” Twillie said.

Twillie

Pearl River went into Friday’s game without the services of running backs Gillum (ankle) and Will Reed (thigh). Also, Jacob Maxwell, a safety/wide receiver, was out with an illness. Quarterback Matt Smith was playing sick with flu-like symptoms but still scored three TDs.

Pearl River coach Joe Harris said it can be worrisome when a team has key components missing.

“When you’re coming in with those three guys out, you’re a little concerned because you’re not at full strength. They are a big part of our football team, but the other guys stepped up,” Harris said.

The Rebels used their running game to chew up clock and yards, but it was the defense that got Pearl River on the board.

The Rebels offense was forced to punt on its first possession, and Albany began with the ball on its 20. PRHS pushed the Hornets back 10 yards, nine on a sack by T.J. Peterson. On third down, Albany quarterback Justin McKnight had his pass intercepted by Jonathan Broom, who took it 16 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was no good, and the Rebels led 6-0 with 5:44 left in the first quarter.

On the first play of its second possession, Albany mishandled an option pitch, and Stephen Arthur was right there for the fumble recovery at Hornets’ 20.

It took PRHS just five plays, ending in a 3-yard sneak by Smith. The Rebels completed the two-point conversion when Smith hooked up with Twillie, making it 14-0 with 3:31 left in the opening period.

On the ensuing drive, the Hornets drove down to Pearl River 7. After Albany lost three yards, it nearly scored on second-and-goal from the 10 on a pass, but it was caught out of bounds. The third down play was a completed screen that went nowhere. The Hornets decided to go for it on fourth down, but Twillie showed his defensive presence from his safety position and knocked the ball down, giving the Rebels a chance blow the game open.

Twillie ran up the middle for 7 yards on first down, moving the ball to the 17. On second down, Twillie took a handoff, ran up the middle, made a couple cuts and outran the Albany defense 83 yards to the end zone to make it 20-0. Levy then ran in the two-pointer to give Pearl River a 22-0 advantage with 10:14 remaining in the first half.

“I just hit the hole. The offense did a great job blocking, and when I saw my opening, I took it,” Twillie said.

Pearl River’s defense forced Albany to punt, and the Rebels got the ball back with 7:47 left in the half. The Rebels drove 77 yards on 10 plays, capped off by a Smith sneak for a score late in the first half. Kevin Dancer’s PAT wrapped up the second-quarter scoring at 29-0.

In the third quarter, Pearl River took a 36-0 lead when a short punt was returned to the Albany 1 by Broom. Smith snuck in for the third time, and Dancer applied the extra point with 6:26 left in the third period.

Smith credited the men upfront for his three-touchdown night.

“I couldn’t have done it without my offensive line,” Smith said. “They stepped it up a lot.”

Albany finally got on the board on a drive that began at the Hornet 37. Facing a third-and-12, McKnight hit Denny Dansby for a 65-yard tally. The two-pointer was converted on a pass to Logan Torrance to make it 36-8. Dansby had two catches for 110 yards.

Pearl River added another touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter on an 18-yard run by Cory Miller. Dancer split the uprights on the PAT to make it 43-8.

Albany scored the final points as time expired in the fourth quarter as McKnight hit David Foster for 5 yards. Shydun Jackson ran in the two-pointer to end the game.

Pearl River (4-0) opens District 9-4A play Friday with a game at East Jefferson. Albany slipped to 1-3 on the season.