James Island - Two high-powered and productive offenses clashed in a second-round Class AAAA Lower State playoff game as 8-3 Hartsville visited 11-0 James Island. Fans of offense would not be disappointed.
Touchdowns and yards were there to be had by both teams but James Island had a bit more offense in the tank. The Trojans scored on five straight first-half possessions and improved to 12-0 with a 45-21 win.
James Island ventures into the third round next week and will host an undefeated Irmo High team. The two met last season in the playoffs with James Island taking the win.
James Island’s defense gave up yards but had two fourth down stops, one early in the first quarter and another in the third quarter. Hartsville came into the game averaging better than 300 yards rushing per game, but it was James Island’s run game that dictated the game. The Trojans rushed for nearly 320 yards in the game, while throwing for 210 more yards.
“When we see something working early, we stick with it and we were having a lot of success running the ball,” James Island head coach Jamar McKoy said. “The o-line did a great job tonight. Backs ran hard, physical. It was a really good performance overall but now it’s on to the next one.”
In a wild first half that saw eight touchdowns and nearly 700 total yards between the two teams, the Trojans took a 35-21 halftime lead. The Trojans scored on five plays on their first possession with Amontrae Scott capping a 66-yard drive with a three-yard run.
After stopping Hartsville on downs, the Trojans went 61 yards on five plays and Tank Scott scoring on a 14-yard run for a 14-0 lead.
Hartsville answered on two plays, getting a 79-yard screen pass that Hakeem Watters took 79 yards for a score.
James Island needed seven plays to score a third first quarter touchdown but needed some luck. A fumble on the Hartsville one-yard line bounced into the hands of receiver Wushi Ravenel, who broke a tackle and fell into the endzone for a touchdown.
On the first play of the second quarter, Watters went 49 yards for a touchdown, cutting the James Island lead to 21-14. But the Trojans had yet another answer, using nine plays to go 70 yards with Amontrae Scott scoring on a 14-yard run.
Hartsville went 80 yards on eight plays with Carmello McDaniel pushing in from the two-yard line to make it 28-21 Trojans.
Just before halftime. James Island scored again. A 45-yard pass from Braxton Scott to Ravenel set up Tank Scott’s three-yard run for a 35-21 halftime lead.
James Island finished the first half with 360 total yards while Hartsville totaled 311 yards.
“Hartsville has a high-powered offense so it’s hard to expect to shut them down completely,” McKoy said. “We challenged the defense at halftime and they responded. No points in the second half. Proud of those guys.”
James Island opened the third quarter with a fourth down stop of Hartsville near midfield. Facing a third-and-20 from its own 44, Braxton Scott, under pressure, found Jaden Singleton near the sideline. Singleton turned on the jets and beat the defense to the end zone for a 42-21 lead.
The Trojans threatened to score another touchdown late in the third but settled for a Gray Dangerfield 20-yard field goal with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter, pushing the lead to 45-21.
“We’re the underdogs. A lot of people thought we would lose tonight,” McKoy said. “We just keep playing for as long as we can. We expect another challenge next week.”
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