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SPRINGFIELD – The Richmond Hill football team’s definition of bliss came in the form of Nick Bliss, the Wildcats’ do-it-all senior, on Friday night against host Effingham County.

Bliss scored touchdowns three different ways, including on the opening play of their 2023 season, to lead the Wildcats past the Rebels 34-7.

“I love being able to coach him,” said Richmond Hill head coach Matt LeZotte, who must have enjoyed seeing Bliss score on an 86-yard kickoff return, a 55-yard return of a blocked punt and an old-fashioned 4-yard burst up the middle as the wide receiver briefly filled in at quarterback.

 

“He’s been a dynamic player for us for a long time,” LeZotte said. “He shows up every single day. He’s a fantastic kid. I can’t understand why more colleges are not beating down the door for a guy like that. He is the quintessential high school football player that everyone is dying to have on their team. He plays special teams. He does it all.”

 

It was a good thing for the Wildcats that the 5-foot-10, 175-pound Bliss, who also plays safety, was producing points because they were hard to come by on a night when both offenses struggled to get into any rhythm.

 

It was too typical of a season opener, as penalties were prevalent and both teams could look for yellow flags on the ground with regularity. In the first half alone, Effingham County had five penalties accepted for 40 yards, and Richmond Hill had seven for 95, and that doesn’t include the personal fouls that offset in one deadball situation.

  

“The kids played hard, but we made too many mistakes to beat a good team like Richmond Hill,” said coach John Ford of Class 6A Effingham County. “Coach LeZotte does a great job. You can’t beat a 7A team from Region 1 making as many mistakes as we did. I like our effort, but we’ve got to clean those up.”

 

The Rebels answered their worst-case scenario start -- Bliss’ kickoff return – with a touchdown on their opening drive. Standouts senior quarterback Nate Hayes Jr. went big on the first play from scrimmage with a 53-yard bomb to Jacques King. Hayes later kept the ball himself for a 20-yard dash in which he broke a tackle and kept his balance to the end zone for 7-7 game with 9:40 remaining in the first quarter.

 

But that would be the only scoring for the Rebels, who failed to take advantage when their defense gave them good to great field position.

 

“We didn’t execute very well,” Ford said. “I thought the defense played really, really hard and put us in some positions to score, but we didn’t answer the bell on offense. We’ve got to do a better job there, for sure.”

 

The special teams yielded the opening score as well as a punt blocked by the Wildcats’ Cannon Kuryla and picked up by Bliss with only open field ahead of him for 13-7 with 4:21 left in the first quarter. A muffed snap and hold kept kicker Blake Williams from getting a chance at the extra point.

 

Richmond Hill returned to the end zone with 30 seconds left in the opening quarter when quarterback Kirk Scott found a wide-open Andrew Matthews for a 32-yard score, with Williams’ kick making it 20-7.

 

The Wildcats defense got a strip sack of Hayes, with defensive lineman Tad Christman (eight total tackles, three for loss) recovering the fumble at the ECHS 40. That led to the only score of the second quarter.

 

Scott launched a pass that Bliss used his speed to run under and make a diving catch at the ECHS 4. Bliss then took a shotgun snap as the QB and followed his blockers for a rushing TD and a 27-7 advantage with 3:10 left before halftime.

 

Bliss finished the game with 10 carries for 58 yards, three receptions for 42 yards and 245 all-purpose yards, according to Richmond Hill.

 

The only score of a penalty-marred second half was Joshua Troupe’s 1-yard run with 4:00 left in the game. He finished with 11 carries for 76 yards.

 

Scott – who left the game briefly after getting “the air knocked out of him,” LeZotte said afterward – was 5-for-8 for 74 passing yards, and he rushed six times for 36 yards.

 

Linebacker Gabe Bauman was a standout with seven tackles and a heads-up play on a diving interception when Hayes faced a heavy rush.

 

LeZotte noted that the team was able to overcome the adversity of penalties without making turnovers or costing it the game. He credited his coaching staff for preparing the team, which he called “very mature” despite having so many underclassmen.

 

“We talk about Nick Bliss and a handful of other seniors on our team right now,” LeZotte said. “We’re still so young and haven’t tapped into our potential. These guys are just starting to get facial hair.”

 

RICHMOND HILL 34, EFFINGHAM COUNTY 7

 

RH | 20 | 7 | 0 | 7 | -- | 34

EC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- | 7

 

First quarter

 

RH – Nick Bliss 86 kickoff return (Blake Williams kick)

EC – Nate Hayes Jr. 20 run (Gage Brooks kick)

RH – Bliss 55 blocked punt return (kick failed)

RH – Andrew Matthews 32 pass from Kirk Scott (Williams kick)

 

Second quarter

 

RH – Bliss 4 run (Williams kick)

 

Fourth quarter

 

RH – Joshua Troupe 1 run (Williams kick)

 

 Here are the Final Week Zero Scores

 

2023 Savannah-area high school football Week Zero FINAL SCORES

 

Richmond Hill 34, Effingham County 7

South Effingham 21, Vidalia 15

Benedictine 42, Jenkins 0

Calvary Day 49, Islands 8

Bluffton 41, Beach 6

MCA 26, Johnson 0

SE Bulloch 21, Liberty County 0

Savannah Christian 49, Hilton Head Christian Academy 0

Bryan County 28, Lincoln Co 16

Memorial Day 59, Palmetto Christian 16

St. Andrew's 21, Thomas Jefferson 0

Bethesda 50, Hilton Head Prep 7

 

SATURDAY 8/19

Josey at Savannah High 5 pm

 

PHOTO CREDIT: Richmond Hill High School Social Media

 

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Optim Orthopedics supports  Richmond Hill High School athletics. Dr. David Palmer is the team doctor for  Richmond Hill. Remember, Optim Orthopedics gets you back into the game.