Kelleytown – The football programs at Camden and Hartsville high schools have gone up against each other more than any two schools in the state of South Carolina. And on Friday, they were featured as part of the Great American Rivalry Series which showcases rivalry games throughout the United States on YouTube.
While the rivalry was renewed for the 94th time at Kelleytown Stadium, that was about the extent of the excitement. The Red Foxes jumped out to a 13-0 lead six minutes into the game and never looked back as they went on to a 55-21 victory.
The Bulldogs lead the series 47-43-4, but they were denied the 700th victory in program history with HHS’ triumph. Both teams entered the game with 2-0 records and ranked fifth in their respective High School Sports Report Sweet 16 polls, Hartsville in AAAA and CHS in AAA.
Camden had not allowed an offensive touchdowns in its first two games and had forced 14 turnovers. It allowed eight touchdowns and didn’t force a turnover on Friday. The Red Foxes had 597 yards of total offense, 455 of it coming on the ground, and had 24 first downs. Thirteen of their 47 running plays went for 10 yards or more as did five of their nine completions.
“We played a really good ball game tonight against a really good football team,” said HHS head coach Jeff Calabrese. “I'm proud of our kids. We didn’t practice yesterday (Thursday because of scheduling caused by Tropical Storm Idalia) and we had 1 ½ hours in the gymnasium on Wednesday. To come out here and play a really good team the way we did, I'm really proud of our guys.
“We didn't turn the ball over, and they had been feeding off of turnovers. The big thing for us offensively was taking care of the ball, not making critical mistakes.”
Running back Carmello McDaniel led the rushing attack, picking up 166 yards and five touchdowns on just 14 carries. Quarterback McKendrie Douglas ran for 141 yards and one score on nine carries, and running back Hakeem Waters had 91 yards and two TDs on 10 carries.
Bulldogs head coach Brian Rimpf said Hartsville assereted itself physically from the outset and his squad was never able to match it.
“They were being physical, they were being very physical.,” Rimpf said. “We didn't match their physical intensity. We've got to do that, we've got to do that. As we move on throughout the season hopefully it will be a good learning experience for our guys.”
The Red Foxes forced CHS into three downs and out on the game’s initial possession, taking over at their 49-yard line following a punt. They needed eight plays to get in the end zone, McDaniel going the final two. Placekicker Jayden Smith added the extra point to make it 7-0 with 7:31 left in the first quarter.
Camden got the ball back and after getting a first down, quarterback Grayson White was intercepted by strong safety Damarion Coe. He returned it 48 yards for a first down and goal at the Bulldog 7. Watters took it on the next play. The extra point was no good, leaving the score at 13-0 with 5:59 left
CHS appeared to be working its way back into the game though. It put together a 6-play, 75-yard scoring drive. It featured a 43-yard run by wide receiver Jah Mayrant that helped set up an 11-yard scoring run by running back Averee Hickman to make it 13-6 with 2:32 to go in the first quarter.
However, McDaniel broke off an 80-yard touchdown run on HHS’ first play on the ensuing possession to make it 20-6 and that squashed any perceptions of a momentum switch.
“We let them score first, and then we had a turnover, an interception, and they get another quick score,” Rimpf said. “We started slow, we didn't have it at the start of the game. We've got to figure out what happened. The two previous games we started really fast.
“We just weren't our best tonight against a really good team. And if you're not at your best against a really good team, it's going to be tough and it was.”
Hartsville put together two nice scoring drives before halftime for a 34-6 lead. The first was a 78-yard drive in nine plays that ended with a 15-yard scoring run by McDaniel. The second was a 7-play, 80-yard scoring drive that ended with a 2-yard scoring run by Douglas He also had a pair of 29-yard completions to wide receiver Keon Hickson and Dorian Knowles.
McDaniel, who was named the game’s most valuable player, said he and his teammates had worked hard to produce their performance.
“There was a whole lot of focus, concentration, a whole lot of execution, a lot of practice, watching film, making sure we came out here and got it done.," McDaniel said.
The Red Foxes scored on their first three possessions of the second half and ran out the clock on the final one. The scoring drives went nine plays for 74 yards, six plays for 77 yards and six plays for 65 yards.
Both Calabrese and McDaniel paid tribute to the offensive line of senior right tackle Shamar Thomas (5-feet-9-inches, 290 pounds), senior right guard Jazir Reardon (6-0, 235), senior center Slayton Stokes (6-4, 325), junior left guard Deric Brown (6-1, 270) and senior left tackle Evan Young (6-0, 200).
“They worked their butts off all week,” McDaniel said. “I can't give them anymore love than I already do. They earned it. They did their job and I took it from there.”
“These guys have been working really hard, and Camden is very talented up front,” Calabrese said. “Our guys did a nice job opening some holes.”
White connected with wide receiver Max Ford on touchdown passes of 71 and 72 yards in the second half. However, it was far too little, far too late.
“We never got into a good rhythm on offense,” Rimpf said. “They were being physical and making tackles. We weren't being physical and we were missing tackles. We just weren't able to match it.”
White completed 10 of 21 passes for 242 yards.
Camden plays at Gray Collegiate Academy, the top-ranked team in AA, on Friday, September 8. Hartsville will be on the road against a top-ranked team as well, taking on AAA No. 1 Dillon.
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