Saluda ends Thurmond's 18-game winning streak, claims region crown as Darryl Hill stars

 Saluda – Saluda High School handed defending AA state champion Strom Thurmond its first loss of the season and won the Region 4-AA championship with a 31-27 triumph on Friday at the SHS field.

 The Tigers, who are sixth in the High School Sports Report AA rankings, improved to 7-2 on the season and 4-0 in region play. The top-ranked Rebels had their 18-game winning streak snapped in falling to 8-1 overall and 3-1 in the region.

 The game was a back-and-forth affair. Saluda jumped out to a 7-0 lead on a 78-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Avery Coyle to wide receiver Darryl Hill. Placekicker Levi Berry added the extra point to make it 7-0 with 2:56 remaining in the first quarter.

 ST got on the scoreboard just over a minute later on a 4-yard scoring run by Zy Rouse. Justus Daly added the PAT to make it 7-7 with 1:50 left in the first half. Thurmond went up 14-7 on a 1-yard run by Rouse with 9:19 to go in the second quarter.

The Tigers got a 28-yard field goal from Berry with 2:02 remaining in the first half to make the halftime score 14-10. Hill took the second-half kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown, and Berry’s extra point gave SHS a 17-14 with 11:47 left in the third quarter.

 That would be the score going into the fourth quarter. The Rebels regained the lead when quarterback AJ Hillary tossed a 12-yard scoring pass to Preston Holmes to make it 21-17 with 10:44 to go in the game. A 23-yard TD run by Tristan Daniels put Saluda back in front at 24-21 with 5:13 remaining.

 ST regained the lead on a 2-yard run by Kaden Wigfall. The PAT was no good though, leaving the score 27-24 with 2:43 left. The Tigers got the winning touchdown when Coyle connected with Hill for the second time with 45 seconds to go, this time for 24 yards.

Hill had a huge night with four catches for 144 yards and the two scores along with the kickoff return for a score. Coyle connected on 10 of 18 passes for 218 yards while rushing for 39 yards on seven carries.

Daniels rushed for 149 yards on 23 carries and caught one pass for six yards. Ceddion Springs had three catches for 46 yards and four rushes for 26 yards.

Rouse ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries to lead the Thurmond offense. Holmes caught all seven of Hillary’s completions for 94 yards and also ran for 24 yards on three carries. Wigfall ran for 47 yards on five totes.

 Central 40

 Lamar 30

 Pageland – Senior quarterback Dwayne Louallen Jr. ran for four touchdown and just shy of 200 yards and passed for two more scores and just shy of 150 yards to lead Central to a 40-30 victory over Lamar on Friday at the CHS field.

The triumph gave the Eagles, No 2 in the HSSR Class A Division I rankings, a 9-0 overall mark and a 5-0 record in Region 5. The Silver Foxes, ranked second in Class A DII, dropped to 7-2 and 4-1.

Central trailed 22-20 entering the fourth quarter only to outscore LHS 20-8.

Louallen, a 4-year starter, picked up 196 yards on 21 carries. He had 145 yards through the air, connecting on 10 of 19 passes.

 Darin Gaines had two catches for 49 yards, one of the receptions being for a touchdown.

 Lamar finished with 400 rushing yards, led by TJ Samuel. He rambled for 206 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. Quarterback Jaylen Morris also went over 100 yards, finishing with 141 and a score on 12 carries. Jaquez Dargan rushed for 47 yards and a TD on 10 carries.

 While Central put itself in prime position to claim the region crown, Lamar and Cheraw both have a chance to share it with the Eagles. If the 4-1 Braves beat visiting Central this Friday and Lamar tops Chesterfield, all three teams will finish 5-1 in the region. A tiebreaker will be used to determine the seeding in the playoffs.

A Central win gives it the region crown outright. A Cheraw victory coupled with a Lamar loss would give the Braves the region title. The only way Lamar, which beat Cheraw, can get the No. 1 seed is through the tiebreaker in a 3-way tie.

Clinton 52

Landrum 14

Clinton – Clinton led Landrum 16-6 after one quarter before exploding for 24 points in the second quarter and a 40-6 halftime lead on the way to a 52-14 victory on Friday at Wilder Stadium.

The Red Devils improved to 5-4 overall and 2-2 in Region 2-AA. The Cardinals fell to 3-6 and 0-4.

CHS rushed for 393 yards, led by Angelo Cromer with 117 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. Owen Glenn ran for 87 yards and a score on two carries, and Rhett Gilliam had two TDs and 53 yards on five attempts.

Jayden Jeter rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown on six carries, and Bryland James ran for a score.

Glenn completed 3 of 5 passes for 69 yards and a TD. Grayson Watkins had all of the receptions.

Quarterback Ian Patterson set the pace for LHS. He rushed for 127 yards and both of Landrum’s touchdowns on 23 carries. JP Branyon ran for 49 yards on 11 carries.

 South Florence 40

 North Myrtle Beach 29

 North Myrtle Beach – South Florence won its seventh straight game and clinched the Region 7-AAAA title with a 40-29 win over North Myrtle Beach on Friday at the NMB field.

The Bruins improved to 7-2 overall and 5-0 in region play. The Chiefs, No. 8 in the AAAA rankings, dropped to 6-3 and 2-3.

 Cameron James had a monster game for SF, rushing for 291 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries. Quarterback De’eric Davis completed 10 of 14 passes for 110 yards and two scores. Semaj Parker had both of the TD receptions, finishing with seven catches for 84 yards.

 The South Florence defense had 22 tackles for a loss. Carlisle Jones led the way with five TFLs among his nine stops. Davey Greene and Dylan Boatwright both had three TFLs. Boatwright also had nine tackles.

 Loris 51

 Lakewood 6

 Loris == Loris jumped out to a 27-0 lead after one quarter and never looked back as it defeated Lakewood 51-6 on Friday at the Loris field.

The Lions, who improved to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in Region 6-AAA, led 41-0 at halftime. The second half was played with a running clock.

The Gators dropped to 1-8 and 0-5.

 Roderick Purcha had a big game both running and catching the football for Loris. Purcha had 94 yards and two touchdowns on five carries while catching four passes for 103 yards and a score.

 Deuce Stephens had seven rushes for 83 yards and three TDs. Quarterback Ayden Scott completed 9 of 11 passes for 194 yards.

 Lakewood was led by Jamodicus Nesmith. He had six carries for 55 yards and the Gators’ touchdown while catching three passes for 29 yards.

 Loris plays host to Aynor this Friday. It can win the region title with a victory and having Hartsville lose to Darlington.