Larry Gamble
HSSR Photo Editor
Sumter - The high school football season kicked off in Marion, SC on Thursday with a Week 0 game, dominated by the South Carolina heat and humidity, with Lake View battling Marion at Fox Field. The Swamp Foxes jumped in front first with a rushing TD but failed on the conversion putting them up 6-0 but it did not take long for the Wild Gators to match the score. The 6-6 tie held until just before half time when a Lake View run by Wanya Nesmith set up a red zone show down in the final minute of the first half. Lake View gets the TD but missed the conversion and going into halftime they are up 12-6.
Coming out for the second half, the Swamp Foxes showed back to football basics and dominated the quarter. Early in the third quarter, Marion's Gabriel Cusack scored on the 5 yard run followed by Richard Eaddy for the the 2 point conversion to put the Swamp Foxes up 14-12. Lake View got stopped by the Marion defense led by Quay'Sheed Scott and with under five minutes remaining in the third, Cusack scores on a one yard keeper with Eaddy making the 2 point conversion again to advance Marion's led 22-12 as the quarter ends.
As the forth quarter began, Lake View showed they can move the ball with another 45 yard TD run by Nesmith bringing the Gators to within four on the score board after a missed 2 point conversion resulted in it being 18-22 Marion with 10 minutes left in the game. The final scoring drive in the game was Marion's Cusack on a 15 yard TD run but a failed extra point left the final score at Lake View 18, Marion 28.
After the game, Marion head coach Brian Hennecy told this HSSR reporter, his team really showed they can dig deep in getting the season opening win. "Our seniors came out in the second half, they responded and came after it, they ran the ball real well and they stopped the run." Then, on the Swamp Foxes final scoring drive, Coach Hennecy said about his seniors leadership on field. "We made a crucial catch for the last score, on fourth down when we went for it and converted it."
Speaking with Lake View head coach Daryl King, he spoke highly of Coach Hennecy's team. "They have a good team, Coach Hennecy and his staff do a good job plus they have athletes all the way across" the line, speaking about the talents of Cusack, Scott, and Eaddy and others. Coach King said "he was proud way his players got after it" in this game. The 2023-24 Wild Gators "returned few players" and "the hard work they put in all summer showed up tonight." He said, "our left guard, Jaden, is a just a tenth grader and he stepped up tonight to play on the varsity level for the first time." Coach King's closed his comments with, "Our kids showed some real grit tonight."
Next up for Lake View is their home opener against Mullins on 8/25 and Marion will travel to Wilson.
High resolution prints and digital downloads from this event are available at www.LarryGamble.com by clicking this link to the photos.
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