D.W. Daniel’s offensive line drew the ire of the Lions coaching staff in their Week 1 win over Easley. But Friday night at T.L. Hanna, that line was the difference in the game-deciding drive to again win 14-7.

Leading the way on a 79-yard drive that took nearly 11 minutes off of the clock, the linemen took the upper hand over Hanna’s defensive front.

And while Daniel only collected 191 total yards, the line came through when the blue and gold needed it most.

“They improved,” Daniel senior quarterback Justin Walker said. “We’ve still got some improvement to do on both sides of the ball. But they got more physical, pushing them off the ball.”

The offensive line was one of the few question marks when Daniel received a stack of preseason accolades. And it appears that line could be a main key if the Lions are to repeat as Western 3A champs or make a deep playoff run.

“I’m proud of my offensive line,” coach Randy Robinson said. “For all of the mental errors, we certainly improved, but we’ve got a ways to go. Fourteen points isn’t going to get it long term.”

Daniel gained more yards on the final drive (79) than it did during the entire first half (75). Robinson added that it was just a matter of time to get in an offensive groove.

“We wore them down a little bit up front,” he said. “People get frustrated when you can’t get the running game going, but once you get it developed, you can pick when you want to throw, and we completed some passes there at the end.”

ELLIS SHINES AGAIN

Dominique Ellis had the biggest highlight of Hanna’s win over Westside 10 days ago, taking a screen pass for a 75-yard touchdown. But the pint-sized speedster turned in another solid performance against Daniel.

Ellis led the Yellow Jackets with eight carries for 58 yards, with seven carries coming in the second half. Trying to find his spot in a backfield that includes four other backs, Ellis had 30 more yards than the rest of the Hanna backfield combined.

GAME BALL

Pendleton senior quarterback John Michael Gibson is an easy choice for the Week 2 game ball. Despite throwing against an experienced and talented secondary at West-Oak, Gibson completed 11-of-12 passes for 251 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. After losing B.J. Blanding to graduation, it looks like Gibson’s found his new favorite receiever in C.J. Gleaton. Gleaton caught two touchdown passes, and had five catches for 127 yards.

WEEK 2 PICKS

I went 7-3 with my picks this past week, making my record 19-8 overall. My losses were Daniel-Hanna, Camden Military-Dixie, and Gainesville-Franklin County. Submit your own, or give me some advice for Week 3 at gofridayfootball.com.

WEEK 3 LOOKAHEAD

Key matchups this week are Westside at D.W. Daniel, Walhalla at West-Oak, and Stephens County at LaGrange. Westside, you might remember, beat Daniel 34-0 last season in the Lions only regular season loss. No question the Lions have no problem remembering that for motivation this week. And with West-Oak moving to Western 3A, this is the only meeting between the Oconee County rivals this season, which should add some spice to it.

Stephens takes it 2-0 record to LaGrange to face the Grangers, who went 8-3 last season in a tough Region 2-AAA with Carver-Columbus and Shaw.

NOTED

Stephens County’s win over Seneca improved the Indians to 10-1 in the series. … D.W. Daniel’s win over Hanna makes that series 12-12-1. … This is the third time in the last five seasons that the Lions have started 2-0. … Belton Honea-Path has started 0-2 for the second straight season. Before last season, the Bears weren’t 0-2 since 1995, when they lost to Abbeville and Laurens.

AROUND THE STATE

Lexington rallied from a 19-0 deficit to upset Greenwood in the Emerald City on Friday night. Coached by former Daniel coach Allen Sitterle, the Wildcats used a 100-yard kickoff return, and several Greenwood special teams problems to take a 34-25 victory. … Woodruff got its first win over Clinton in 13 years with a dramatic come-from-behind 35-28 victory. The Wolverines forced a fumble with 19.8 seconds left to pull the upset. … Despite five fumbles and 70 yards in penalties, Byrnes beat Ridge View 45-20. Marcus Lattimore led the Rebels with 17 carries for 220 yards and three touchdowns.