Fort Dorchester lost another close one to Beaufort, falling 17-22 to the Eagles Friday.
The Patriots took a 17-13 lead into the half, but then made some costly turnovers as the Eagles held them scoreless for the final two quarters.
It marked the Eagles’ sixth consecutive win in the series, known for coming down to the wire.
“Turnovers really hurt us, but I’m proud of our guys for playing with the same intensity the entire game,” Patriot coach Steve LaPrad said. “Beaufort also had some turnovers and we had opportunities to win the game, but didn’t come through. It was your typically Beaufort/ Fort game with the outcome coming down to one or two plays. It seems like we always loose this one at the end.”
The Patriots (2-1) went with an attack that included a lot of passes and the move paid off early when Ethan Long threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Rodney Gibbs for a 7-0 Fort lead with Josh Hall’s PAT.
The drive covered 80 yards, but Beaufort (3-0) also had an 80-yard scoring drive in the opening quarter. Alex Simmons capped it with a two-yard run into the end zone. The Patriots maintained the lead thanks to an unsuccessful conversion attempt.
In the second quarter, the Fort scored with a 27-yard field goal by Hall and a three-yard TD run by Keshon Flores, a defender moved to running back two weeks ago to help offset injuries at he position.
Beaufort had a 23-yard scoring run from Simmons before the half to set up a third-quarter comeback.
The Patriots drove into the red zone twice in the second half, only to turn the ball over. The Fort lost the ball on three fumbles and three interceptions during the game while Beaufort lost possession on two fumbles.
In the third quarter, Beaufort scored on a five-yard run by QB Beau Brown and then recovered an onside kick. That set up a controversial safety.
The Patriots’ D held the Eagles to force a punt. The return man received the kick deep and was knocked back into the end zone for a called safety. Patriot coaches say after reviewing game film, they believe the ball should have been placed at the one-yard line due to the returners’ forward progress.
“That’s football,” LaPrad said. “Sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don’t. That changed the momentum of the game, but who’s to say that if it had been marked at the 1 we wouldn’t have turned the ball over on the next play.”
The rest of the game was a sloppy battle in which both defenses held their opponents scoreless.
Simmons led all rushers with 111 yards on 18 carries. Josh McPherson added 61 rushing yards. Michael Sellers led the Patriots with 41 yards on 10 carries.
Long completed 12-of-25 pass attempts for 197 yards, compared to Brown’s 94 yards on 6-out-of-11 passes. Fort senior Aquino Spann led all receivers with six catches for 72 yards.
“Long had the interceptions, but he also made some good passes and good decisions,” LaPrad said of his sophomore QB. “He should have gained some confidence in the game.”
Patriot defensive back Laurez Matthews led all tacklers with 20 on the night. Beaufort’s Justin Parker, a D-1 prospect, had 14 to lead the Eagles.

Contact Roger Lee @ 873-9424 ext. 213 or rlee@journalscene.com.