EVANS, Ga. (WJBF) — Brennan Bjorkman had a monster game Friday night in Greenbrier’s 35-28 win over cross-town rival Greenbrier — a victory that was seen by many as an upset.
And once he finished thanking his coaches and teammates for their support, he handed out one more game ball.
“Pickle juice,” Bjorkman said. “Lots of pickle juice.”
A combination of 80-degree temperatures and 85% humidity last Friday night brought about multiple cramping issues for Bjorkman and others on both sidelines.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior was seen limping off the field several times during the game, but never for good. Aside from the pickle juice, a little matter of snapping a 15-year drought against Evans kept him motivated to finish a tough game strong.
“It meant a lot,” Bjorkman said. “It meant more than just a game. Losing to them 15 years in a row, we had to break it soon. I had a feeling that [Friday night] was going to be the night.”
And it was, thanks to Bjorkman’s strong performance. But, he had help.
Bjorkman rushed for 187 yards on 22 carries with five touchdowns along with seven tackles and a fumble recovery on defense.
Simiarly stellar performances by junior quarterback Calvin Pollard’s 240 passing yards on 10-of-14 passing and Josh Jefferson’s 137 rushing yards on 16 totes and a touchdown were crucial in the Wolfpack holding off Evans for the first win since 2011.
“We knew Evans was the better team coming in, but they weren’t the better team Friday night,” Bjorkman said. “It’s not about who’s the better team overall. It’s whoever is the better team that night, and Greenbrier was the better team that night.”
Bjorkman also called it a feel-good performance because of how long he’s been waiting for his chance to take the lion’s share of carries at running back.
It was a sweet way to bounce back from a 30-14 opening season loss to Burke County. But now, the page turns.
“It’s kinda crazy to be honest,” he said. “My junior year, I had a starting running back in front of me, and he got all the reps. He’s a really good player, and I learned from him. But now, I’m leading my team as a senior and I need to continue to play better and be better at practice and help us win games — more than just the last one.”
Pollard, after his first start behind center, managed to strike the perfect balance between appreciation of the win and refusal to rest on what can now be called past laurels.
“It was really special,” Pollard said of the Evans win. “We set the tone off right, and now we’ve gotta get better as the rest of the weeks in the season come.”
Pollard was inserted into the starting lineup after last week’s starting signal caller Parker Brantley sustained an arm injury last week. He looked poised from the start, connecting on his first six passes and never seeming to be rattled by the moment.
“It was just about not making it a bigger deal than it is,” he said. “That helped me to keep my composure throughout the game, and now we just put it behind us and keep our heads up going into the next games of the season.”
The next test features another cross-county rival at Harlem where the Bulldogs bounced back from a Week 1 loss to Evans by edging out Grovetown 17-10 Friday.
Top Week 2 Performances
QB Tanner Padgett, Aiken: 18-of-24 passing for 322 yards and two touchdowns, 7 carries for 34 yards in an impressive 38-21 win against Swansea. Speaking of impressive, Padgett's numbers through two games: 562 passing yards with a 69.8 completion percentage, 4 touchdowns to just 1 interception and 48 rushing yards.
RB/LB Eli Hutchinson, Aquinas: 178 rushing yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns. Eight tackles, 2 TFLs and 1 sack on defense. It appears Hutchinson may be poised to be the bell cow on offense for the Fightin’ Irish as far as running backs go this season.
RB Drelyn Brown, South Aiken: 209 rushing yards on 16 carries and three touchdowns. It seems like the T-Breds keep a good running back in the stable. The Silver Bluff transfer is off to a solid start to the 2026 season.
RB Jay’Andre Brown, Richmond Academy: 112 rushing yards on 11 carries, one touchdown. Musketeers coach Keenan Grissett said during Richmond County’s preseason football media day that he feels his team is one of the most talented in the area, if not all of GHSA’s Class 5A. He might be on to something, evidenced not just by Richmond Academy’s first two wins, but also by the mentioning of someone not named Carson Hand or Lo'than McBride in this space.
RB Brycen Gault, Evans: 180 rushing on 21 carries and three touchdowns. The junior ball carrier is on his way to a major breakout season. Gault's got 411 rushing yards four touchdowns already through two games while averaging a ridiculous 10.8 yards per carry. He’ll be looking for more of the same when he faces a Lakeside defense Friday that surrendered 246 rushing yards to Midland Valley last week in a 42-7 loss.
Don't forget to vote in our 44 Strong Week 2 Player of the Week Poll! You'll probably find a few of these names there.
Top Week 3 Matchups
Richmond Academy (2-0) at Westside (2-0): Hard to argue against this one being the CSRA’s game of the week. Both teams coming in undefeated after two solid wins apiece to open the season. Richmond Academy will be looking for some revenge after last year’s narrow 17-9 loss to the Patriots at home.
Aquinas (2-0) at Lincoln County (1-1): One of the longest standing rivalries in the CSRA. Lincoln County has a huge overall lead in the series, but Aquinas has gotten the upper hand, going 7-2 in their last nine matchups. They’ll link up Friday for the first time since 2023.
Bamberg-Ehrhardt (1-1) at Barnwell (1-1): Speaking of rivalries, this is about as “CSRA” as you can get from a football standpoint. our WJBF NewsChannel 6 Game Night Live crew will be on hand for the 59th installment of this matchup. These two classic rivals have been squaring up since 1968. Both squads have split their last six contests against each other with Bamberg winning last year’s tussle 29-14 en route to an undefeated season and SCHSL Class A state crown.
Greenwood (1-1) at North Augusta (1-1): This non-region contest will test two top-50 South Carolina squads. A North Augusta win over a solid Greenwood bunch will go a long way in helping the Yellow Jackets shake off any remaining residue from their tough 21-7 season opening loss at Strom Thurmond.
Chapin (1-1) at Aiken (2-0): Tangible sings of program progress can already be seen in year two of coach Steve Hibbitts’ tenure at Aiken. But a huge step forward could happen if the Hornets can knock off Chapin at home Friday. A win will push Aiken to 3-0 for the first time since 2010, back when it was still somewhat expected for the Hornets to contend for region titles and make deep state playoff runs.
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