Clarendon Hall advances to SCISA Class A semifinals with 34-0 win over Thomas Heyward
1,000-yard rusher Andrew Pritcher leads Saints against Dorchester for spot in title game
Summerton – At this time a year ago, Shane Wallace really didn’t have the words to describe his first season as the football head coach at Clarendon Hall. The Saints went 0-10, extending a losing streak to 21 games, and were outscored 439-59.
Now?
Clarendon Hall owns a 5-6 record and is coming off of a 34-0 win over Thomas Heyward Academy in the first round of the SCISA Class A state playoffs. They are preparing to go on the road and face Dorchester Academy in a semifinal game on November 13.
Wallace has plenty to say now.
“It's awesome. Me and my wife were talking about it this morning,” he said. “we’re going to the second round after not winning a game last year. We’ve been trying to right the ship and I feel like we’ve almost got it.”
The Saints face a tall task going up against Dorchester. The Raiders are 9-2 after beating Carolina Academy 55-6 in the first round. The No. 1 team in the High School Sports Report Class A rankings, Dorchester beat Clarendon Hall 60-16 during the regular season.
Wallace believes the Saints are better now than they were for the September 18 meeting. He is asking for maximum effort from his players and to see where the chips fall.
“We want to win each play, one play at a time,” Wallace said. “That’s what we’re trying to do. We want to go out and give our best that play. We want to win one play at a time, and I need all 11 of them to give it to me.”
Clarendon Hall is a run-heavy team with 280 rushes compared to just 141 passes going into the playoffs. Getting most of the carries is junior Andrew Pritcher. He had rushed for 1,114 yards and 13 touchdowns on 139 carries going into the playoffs
Junior Talon Dymond had 136 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries.
“We live and die on running the ball,” Wallace said. “The great thing about that is they know that’s what we’re going to do, so they try to stuff the middle. That allows me to throw the ball.
“The offensive line has made some of the biggest improvements. It was a major weakness last year, and it has come a long way this season.”
Junior quarterback Joey Hatchell has thrown for 778 yards and six touchdowns, hitting on 60 of 138 attempts.
“Joey has just become a brilliant young man,” Wallace said. “He manages the game very well. We call plays together. I ask what he feels when he comes and talks to me. He gets smarter and smarter with each play. He can tell me what’s going on on the field. He’s seeing things he used to not see.”
Freshman Jack Wyatt Reynolds is his top target with 18 receptions for 134 yards. Sophomore TJ Young is the big play receiver with his 15 catches going for 347 yares and three TDs. Senior Cole Richburg has eight grabs for 112 yards and one TD.
Defensively, Clarendon Hall has Thoams He3yward’s number. The Saints beat THA 27-0 in the season opener, their only other shutout.
“Our defense bent, but didn't break,” Wallace said. “We scored a little bit and that made up for it. I’m proud of them and the way they played.”
The leading tackler was junior Caleb Poplin with 53 stops. Pritcher was next with 43 tackles. Reynolds had a team high four tackles for loss among his 26 stops. Young also had 26 tackles to go along with three TFLs.
Hatchell has been a standout in the secondary with five interceptions.
