Jessie Pernell, Matt Hazel and Loranzo Hammonds helped North Augusta High School get off to a fast start against Orangeburg-Wilkinson Friday evening, and the Yellow Jackets got back on the winning track in high style, thumping the Bruins by a 41-7 margin in Region 5-AAAA football.

Hammonds connected for a 16-yard touchdown to Pernell in the first quarter and followed that up with a 27-yard score to Hazel, setting the stage for the rout and nailing down a homecoming win.

Hammonds wound up hitting Pernell and Hazel for two touchdowns apiece, and Demarcus Rouse ran for two more scores, helping pave the way for the Jackets' bench to be cleared. Coach Dan Pippin saw his squad improve its record to 7-1 overall and 3-1 in region play. Orangeburg-Wilkinson slid to 2-6 and 0-4.

Pippin's bunch now faces an unusual assignment, with a game today (Thursday), instead of Friday, on the road versus Richland Northeast. The odd scheduling, Pippin said, is due to Richland Northeast sharing a stadium with Spring Valley, which has a home game Friday.

The coach pointed out that Richland Northeast started the season with four straight losses but is now 4-4 overall, having won all its region games.

"They're tied with Irmo for first, and we're in third. It's obviously a big game," Pippin said.

The Cavaliers' quarterback, Kersean Wilson, is among the region's more prominent players - a candidate for NCAA Division 1-A recruitment, in Pippin's words. Richland Northeast's most recent game was Friday - a 24-19 win at home against Dutch Fork.

North Augusta's current data have Montel Hughes as the leading tackler with 10 total tackles against the Bruins, adding to his season total of 81. Emeka Okafor is tops in sacks, having added one against the Bruins for a season total of four.

Hammonds is both the leading rusher and passer. He racked up 54 ground yards in the homecoming game and has a total of 596 rushing yards, via 103 carries, with nine rushing touchdowns in the mix. His passing yardage for homecoming was 113, with six completions on 11 attempts, including four touchdowns and one interception. For the season, he has 97 completions from 139 attempts, including 1,402 yards, 19 touchdowns and three interceptions.

Hazel has been Hammonds' favorite target, having racked up 49 yards against the Bruins - two catches for two touchdowns. His season total is 47 receptions, including 12 touchdowns and a total of 788 yards.