GREENWOOD — T.L. Hanna put up a spirited fight Friday night, but the Yellow Jackets had no answer for the D.J. Swearinger Show.

At halftime, the Yellow Jackets appeared in solid control of a defensive struggle. But once Greenwood coach Shell Dula let his star quarterback loose, Hanna couldn’t counter-punch.

Swearinger, a Tennessee verbal commitment, rushed for 207 yards — 182 after halftime — and led Greenwood to a 24-21 win at a soaked J.W. Babb Stadium. Greenwood improved to 4-4, 2-0 in AAAA Region 1 play, while Hanna fell to 2-6, 1-1.

No other Eagle touched the ball after halftime, and Swearinger carried 33 times for the game.

“I feel like I could play another half,” he said. “I don’t know if I could play a whole game, but I could play another half.”

That’s something Hanna coach Kenya Fouch would probably rather not see.

“Their offensive staff made a very small adjustment in their blocking scheme and then he started making plays,” Fouch said. “He broke some tackles, and he made great reads. He started becoming a lot more patient. Instead of just running it in there, he waited to see what would open up. He’s a special, special player.”

Hanna led by seven at halftime after holding Greenwood to 14 first-half yards and one first down. But Dula focused his offense around Swearinger in the second half, pairing him in the backfield with star defensive ends Sam Montgomery and Kelcy Quarles for blocking.

He opened the half with a 36-yard draw, and followed it with a 34-yard dash up the middle that tied the game at 14 84 seconds into the quarter.

The next drive looked much the same; Swearinger broke a 36-yard draw, accounted for every yard on the drive and pushed the lead to 21-14 with a one-yard touchdown run on fourth and goal.

“The second half, we just came out and took the momentum from the start,” he said. “This was the same game plan we’d had for the last three games. Holes just started opening up after a while.”

A fierce Hanna goal-line stand forced a Greenwood field goal, leaving the score 24-14 early in the fourth quarter, and a mistake gave the Jackets one more chance. Greenwood’s punter accidentally kneeled at his own 28 while trying to field a snap, and quarterback Dajun Martin – in to spark the offense – connected with Martavis Bryant for a 28-yard touchdown on the next play, cutting the lead to 24-21.

But the Jackets got no closer, with their final full possession ending on a Martin downfield interception.

“The team we took to Mauldin would not have come out and did what we did tonight,” Fouch said. “If we’d have played other games like we did tonight, we’d probably be 5-1, 6-2 coming into tonight. I’m proud of our kids for battling.”

Hanna held a 14-7 halftime lead following a wet first half dominated by defense.

Disaster struck on the Yellow Jackets’ first offensive possession. Following a three-and-out, Ajani Burton broke through the line and blocked Holt Harrell’s punt. It rolled back to the Hanna 1 before Greenwood finally recovered.

One play later, Swearingen took a draw up the middle for the game’s first score, giving Greenwood a 7-0 lead with 10:25 left in the first quarter.

Hanna later had another punt blocked, accounting for Greenwood’s field goal.

“It killed us, man,” Fouch said. “We lost by three and got two punts blocked. It accounted for (10 points). We’ve got to get better.”

A fluky play let Hanna even the score immediately. On third and 4 from their own 34, quarterback Quinton Payton targeted Bryant deep in double coverage. The ball went off two Eagle defenders – and bounced into Bryant’s waiting hands behind the defense.

See ya! Bryant raced 66 yards for a touchdown, tying the game at 7 with 8:31 left in the quarter.

From there, the defenses took over. Neither team managed a first down until Hanna did so with 4:28 left in the half.

Hanna forced three turnovers, none more important than Joey Farmer’s recovery of a Greenwood fumble midway through the second quarter at the Eagles’ 30. Tailback Will Gay extended the drive with a six-yard blast on fourth and inches from the Greenwood 20, and a Payton eight-yard run set up first and goal from the Greenwood 2.

Defensive lineman/fullback Garrett Boulware finished the drive, blasting over for a two-yard touchdown with 3:22 left in the half, giving Hanna its halftime advantage.