After scoreless first quarter, Emerald outguns Saluda 55-54 in shootout

Greenwood – After a scoreless first quarter, the Emerald and Saluda high school football teams lit up the scoreboard the rest of the night to the tune of 109 points.

    When the dust finally settled and Jamerion Moore had stopped running the football for the Vikings and Avery Coyle threw his last pass for SHS, it was EHS that came away victorious 55-54 at the Emerald field.

    Moore carried the football 28 times for 310 yards and six touchdowns for the Vikings, who improved to 5-1 on the season in their final non-region contest. Coyle tossed six TD passes for 3-2 Saluda, also playing its final region contest, connecting on 20 of 30 passes for 423 yards.

    The game was tied 21-21 at halftime, and EHS took a 35-28 lead into the fourth quarter. Emerald, ranked fourth in the High School Sports Report AAA poll, led 55-41 after a 35-yard scoring run by Moore with 6:19 remaining in the game.

    However, the Tigers scored twice in the final 1:30 of the game. Coyle tossed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Darryl Hill, and Levi Berry added the extra point to make it 55-48 with 1:21 left.

    SHS, ranked seventh in the AA poll, then recovered an onside kick on the kickoff. Coyle threw a 4-yard TD pass to Mehki Linton with 44 seconds to go. Saluda head coach Greg Woerner decided to go for the win, but running back Tristan Daniels’ fell incomplete as the Vikings held on for the win.

    EHS quarterback Beau Hite completed 10 of 16 passes for 158 yards and two scores. Desiray Christian Jr. had eight receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown, while Coleman Marino had three catches for 52 yards and the other TD. Keirion Brown had four grabs for 33 yards.

    Hill was Coyle’s favorite target, finishing with eight receptions for 216 yards and three of the touchdown catches. Ceddion Springs had five catches for 111 yards and a TD, Jahmeer Myers had four grabs for 51 yards and a score, and Linton had three receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown.

    Springs also rushed for 108 yards and two TDs on just three carries.

    Batesburg-Leesville 35

    Clinton 28

    Batesburg-Leesville – Batesburg-Leesville trailed AA No. 3 Clinton 28-13 entering the fourth quarter but scored 15 minutes to force overtime and then completed the comeback in overtimer for a 35-28 triumph and its first win of the season on Friday at The Pit.

    The Panthers’ Mario Waters scored on a 6-yard run to cut the Red Devils’ lead to 28-19. Kentravius Green caught a pass from Terrance Cook for the 2-point conversion to make it 28-21.

    Batesburg-Leesville put together a 12-play, 67-yard scoring drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by Cook with 16 seconds left in regulation. Leo Gonzales added the extra point to tie the game at 28-28 and force overtime.

    In the overtime, Cook tossed a 10-yard scoring pass to Graham Pierce to make it 35-28. The Panthers then held 3-2 CHS on its possession to get the win.

    Cook had an outstanding all-around game. He rushed for 113 yards and two TDs on 16 carries while completing 10 of 22 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns.

    Pierce had both of the scoring receptions, finishing with six catches for 147 yards. Waters rushed for 75 yards and a score on 14 attempts.

    Leading the way for Clinton was Angelo Cromer. He rushed for 125 yards and a TD on 18 carries. Owen Glenn rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown on six totes while completing 7 of 12 passes for 123 yards and score.

    Damajia Crooks had four catches for 85 yards and a TD. Camden Gregory ran for a touchdown.

Northwestern 56

    South Pointe 21

    Rock Hill – Xavier Means passed for 433 yards and six touchdowns as Northwestern scored the game’s first 35 points and rolled to a 56-21 win over South Pointe on Friday at Stallions Stadium in a battle of defending state champions.

    The Trojans, the 2-time defending AAAAA Division II state champions, improved to 4-1. SPHS, the defending AAAA champion, fell to 2-2.

    Means completed 13 of 15 passes to put up his monster numbers. He also rushed for 71 yards on 12 carries.

    Malik Ratliff caught five passes for 152 yards and two scores, while Peyton Vining had three catches – all of them TDs – for 107 yards. Kadin Vassel had two receptions for 79 yards and a TD.

    KJ Burg ran for two touchdowns.

    Brayl Frederick led South Pointe by completing 13 of 19 passes for 183 yards and a TD. Micah Walker had two catches for 47 yards and the touchdown, while King Davis had two grabs for 70 yards.

    Rasean Brown ran for 73 yards, and Jamil Watson ran for a score. Cash Truesdale returned a kickoff 81 yards for a score.

    Northwestern entered the game ranked fifth in AAAAA. South Pointe was fourth in AAAA.

    North Myrtle Beach 22

    Wilson 7

    Florence – North Myrtle Beach improved to 6-0 overall with a 22-7 victory over Wilson on Friday at the WHS field.

    The Chiefs, ranked third in the AAAA poll, are 2-0 in Region 7-AAAA. The Tigers fell to 2-4 and 0-2.

    Jayden Wilson led NMB with 135 yards and a touchdown on just five carries. Mason Walker passed for 108 yards and a score while completing 6 of 9 passes. Evan Barrett was 5 of 7 for 41 yards.

 Taron Scott had five receptions for 59 yards, while Anthony Cimino had three catches for 67 yards, including the TD.

 Nico Miller booted two field goals. Jimm McCullough had seven tackles to lead the defense.

 Gaffney 20

 Byrnes 17

 Duncan – Gaffney held off a late rally by Byrnes to come away with a 20-17 victory on Friday at Rebel Stadium.

The Indians, ranked second in the AAAA poll, improved to 4-1. They led 20-0 midway through the third quarter before Byrnes began to rally. BHS, No. 6 in AAAAA, dropped to 3-2.

 Quarterback Corey Taylor led the Indians by rushing for 80 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries and completing 7 of 13 passes for 106 yards and another TD. Running back Amire White had a 28-yard TD catch and rushed for 66 yards on 14 carries. Kendaris Bailey ran for 65 yards and the other score on 11 carries.

 Tre Segarra led the Rebels by rushing for 85 yards on 16 carries and catching five passes for 35 yards. Quarterback Gideon Merhib completed 13 of 20 passes for 189 yards.

 Niqious Watson had two catches for 37 yards, one of them a 22-yard TD receptions. Adrian Harris had three catches for 45 yards.

 Ashton Cathcart booted a 35-yard field goal. Byrnes’ other touchdown came on a 30-yard interception return by Cameron Nash.

James Island 56

Stratford 7

Charleston – James Island remained undefeated with a 56-7 triumph over Stratford on Friday at the JIHS field.

    The Trojans, ranked third in AAAAA, are 5-0 overall and 2-0 in Region 5. The Knights dropped to 1-5 and 0-2.

    Brady Dantzler completed 13 of 17 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns to go with 33 rushing yards to lead James Island. Raphael Puiu had five catches for 73 yards, Copeland Nixon had three receptions for 62 yards and a TD, Charlie Schrecker had three grabs for 36 yards and a score, and Thyus Fabor had a 35-yard touchdown catch.

    Mykell Warthen rushed for 143 yards and three TDs on 11 carries. Jaquoy Legare had 11 carries for 63 yards and a score

Malachi Breland scored SHS’ only touchdown on a 2-yard run. Quarterback Caleb Lott passed for 101 yards, and Micah Adams had four catches for 48 yards.

    Dutch Fork 42

    Gray Collegiate 7

    Irmo – Dutch Fork continued to roll through its competition, beating Gray Collegiate Academy 42-7 on Friday at Dutch Fork Stadium.

    The Silver Foxes, who have won four straight state titles and are ranked No. 1 in AAAAA, improved to 5-0. GCA fell to 2-4.

    Jaxon Knotts led the way for DFHS, completing 25 of 34 passes for 282 yards and four touchdowns. Maleek Miller had eight catches for 94 yards and two TDs, while Michael Robinson and Samajae Govan had the other TD catches. Corey Miller had five catches for 71 yards and Anderson Bean had five receptions for 48 yards.

    Quintin Wilson rushed for 119 yards on 10 carries, Amaurie Harley had 62 yards and a TD, and Knotts ran for a score.

    The War Eagles were led by Xavier Wright, who hit on 18 of 30 passes for 206 yards and one score. David Quattlebaum had six catches for 59 yards, Trevon Willamson had five catches for 69 yards, and Royce Williamson caught the TD pass.

    Trevon Williamson also ran for 54 yards.

 South Florence 46

    Myrtle Beach 20

    Myrtle Beach – Cameron James rushed for 233 yards and four touchdowns on 28 carries as South Florence beat Myrtle Beach 46-20 on Friday at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium.

    The Bruins won their fourth straight game after opening the season 0-2. Ranked 10th in the AAAA poll, they are 2-0 in Region 7-AAAA. The Seahawks fell to 2-4 and 0-2.

    SFHS quarterback De’eric Davis rushed for 78 yards and two scores on seven carries while completing 6 of 8 passes for 51 yards. Malik Robinson had five catches for 55 yards.

    Zachary Gordon, Josh Gantt and Davey Greene each had two quarterback sacks to lead the defense.

Silver Bluff 33

    Barnwell 8

    Aiken – Barnwell fell to 2-4 on the season with a 33-8 loss to Silver Bluff on Friday at the SBHS field.

    Torye Pickens ran for 53 yards and scored the Warhorses’ only touchdown on 15 carries. Quarterback Josiah Gibson ran for 32 yards and passed for 61.

    Silver Bluff improved to 2-3.

 Northside Christian 21

 Trinity Collegiate 13

 Darlington – Northside Christian Academy remained undefeated on the season with a 21-13 win over Trinity Collegiate on Friday at the TC field.

The Crusaders, ranked third in the HSSR AAA poll, are 6-0 overall and 3-0 in Region 1. The Titans fell to 2-2 and 1-1.

 NCA trailed 7-6 entering the fourth quarter. They took a 14-7 lead when quarterback BJ Suits threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Tucker McGinty and then connected with him on a 2-point conversion.

 Trinity scored with 7:41 remaining in the game, but Northside blocked the extra point. Suits threw a 15-yard TD pass to Kaden Murray with 1:21 left and Warner Shores added the extra point.

Suits completed 9 of 18 passes for 123 yards and the two TDs while running for 80 yards and the other score on 11 carries.