TWIN CITY — Emanuel County Institute’s potent offense didn’t see much of the ball Friday night.
    It didn’t need to.
    The Bulldogs were on the short end of a 35:34-12:26 time of possession differential, but quick, powerful drives propelled them to a 27-10 win over the Trion Bulldogs in the Class A Public quarterfinals.
    A quick touchdown on ECI’s opening drive and a last-second score before the final whistle of the second quarter gave the Bulldogs a 14-10 halftime advantage. An 80 yard romp by James Brown broke the game open and ECI never looked back.
    “This was 48 minutes of hard-fought football,” said ECI coach Chris Kearson. “Our guys needed a tough test like that and we really played well. I give a lot of credit to Trion. That’s one heck of a team, but we’re glad to be the ones moving on.”
    With the win, ECI travels to Wilcox County next Friday with a trip to the Georgia Dome on the line.
    ECI took the game’s opening kick and wasted no time.
    Brown (14 carries, 176 yards) and Greg Purcell both rushed for over 20 yards as ECI raced 52 yards in 3:07. Purcell capped the drive with an 11 yard touchdown run and Caleb Pressey drilled the extra point for an early 7-0 lead.
    Then the Trion offense went to work.
    Trion picked up yards at a slow, but steady pace, converting three third downs and a fourth down on its first possession.
    ECI finally managed a stand at its own 8, but Agustin Navarro booted a 25 yard field goal to highlight a grinding possession that ate up 8:59.
    A quick three-and-out for ECI put its defense back on the field and Trion took its time once again.
    This time, Trion was able to find the end zone. Another fourth down conversion kept the 14 play drive alive and Corey Bethune found Scotty Lively from 7 yards out for a 10-7 Trion lead just 1:12 before halftime.
    “They were able to nickel and dime us pretty well,” said Kearson. “We were able to make some adjustments after halftime and did a good job of keeping them off of the scoreboard in the second half.”
    Purcell got ECI back in the game with a 33 yard romp to get into scoring position and the Bulldogs continued to inch closer as the first half wound down.
    With just 9 seconds to go, Pressey found Jacoby Boatwright for the 14-10 halftime advantage.
    ECI finally forced Trion punts on the first two possessions of the third quarter and Brown did the rest.
    Starting at the 20 after a touchback on a punt, Brown found space and outran the opposition for an 80 yard strike that boosted the lead to 21-10 late in the third quarter.
    Trion pushed into ECI territory in the fourth quarter, but Dez Gatson intercepted Bethune and ECI responded with another touchdown drive to make it 27-10 with just 7:40 to play.
    Trion was then done in by its own scheme as it got back down the field, but took far too long to do so. ECI got a fourth down stop with 49 seconds to go and kneeled down twice to run out the clock.
    “We’re ready for the next step,” said Kearson. “Wilcox is a great team and a big challenge. Next week should be another great game.”

    Mike Anthony may be reached at (912) 489-9404.