Mr. Football award finalists announced

Photo by Joe L. Hughes II

South Pointe's Jadeveon Clowney (left) and Northwestern's Justin Worley are among the finalists for the S.C. Autombile Dealers Association Mr. Football award recognizing the state's most outstanding player.

No head scratching necessary for this one … these kids deserve the recognition they are receiving.
Noticed for their prowess on the gridiron, the field was narrowed down to eight in the running for the South Carolina Automobile Dealers Association Mr. Football award.
Among those chosen was Northwestern’s record setting quarterback Justin Worley. The Tennessee commitment has led the Trojans to a 12-0 mark thus far in 2010, hoping to accomplish the one thing he has not done during his high school football career -- win a state championship.
All-American Jadeveon Clowney was also tabbed as a finalist for this year’s Mr. Football award, the defensive end (and part-time running back) serving as the focal point of a dominating South Pointe defense which currently sits atop the Class AAA Prep Writers’ Poll.
Clemson commit and Dorman standout wide receiver Charone Peake was among those honored as a finalist for the award, in addition to Myrtle Beach quarterback and North Carolina commitment Everett Golson, Greenwood linebacker Quinton Backus, Summerville running back DeAngelo Henderson, James Island wide receiver Bo Patterson, and Goose Creek offensive tackle Brandon Shell.
Current South Carolina running back and former Byrnes High School standout Marcus Lattimore won the S.C. Mr. Football award in 2009.
The Mr. Football award be handed out during the North-South awards ceremony Dec. 11 at Myrtle Beach High School.

Previous Mr. Football Winners
2009: Marcus Lattimore - Byrnes HS (South Carolina)
2008: Stephon Gilmore - South Pointe HS (South Carolina)
2007: Richard Mounce - Blythewood HS (Charleston Southern)
2006: Malcolm Long - Gaffney HS (South Carolina State)
2005: Prince Miller - Byrnes HS (Georgia)
2004: JD Melton - Myrtle Beach HS (Navy)
2003: Trey Elder - Byrnes HS (Appalachian State)
2002: Eric McCollum - Camden HS (Iowa)
2001: Moe Thompson - Stratford HS (South Carolina)
2000: Roscoe Crosby - Union HS (Clemson)
1999: Mark Logan - Greenwood HS (Georgia Tech)
1998: Derek Watson - Palmetto HS (South Carolina)
1997: Chris Hope - Rock Hill HS (Florida State)
1996: Kyle Young - Daniel HS (Clemson)
1995: Jermale Kelly - Greenwood HS (South Carolina)

Doing whatever it takes -- South Pointe defense leads way in tough region win over Fairfield Central

Photo by Joe L. Hughes II

South Pointe's Gerald Dixon tries to corral Fairfield Central running back Jimmy Walker in the pivotal region contest in Winnsboro last week. The Stallions were able to earn a hard fought win and a share of first place in Region IV-3A, 17-7.

WINNSBORO, S.C. -- South Pointe head coach Bobby Carroll could not have described last Friday night’s contest with region foe Fairfield Central any better -- “it was nothing short of a 12 round fight.”
A haymaker in the form of a 25 yard pass from backup quarterback Devin Pearson to Montay Crockett gave Carroll’s Stallions the cushion they needed late in the fourth quarter at Winnsboro’s E.K. McClendon Stadium, allowing the team’s stout defense to turn out the lights on the Griffins, defeating them 17-7.
“This team does not care about statistics, how many touchdowns one of them has or the number of shutouts are achieved,” Carroll said. “All we care about is what the scoreboard says at the end of the game.”
Facing a high octane Fairfield Central offense which had not previously scored less than 26 points this season, South Pointe yielded 212 yards on the night, holding Griffins’ star quarterback Danny Miller to 10- of-22 passing for 57 yards and an interception.
The theft of Miller, which occurred on Fairfield Central’s first series, led to the Stallions getting on the board first in the game, a 19 yard scamper by all-American Jadeveon Clowney.
Clowney, who is regarded as one of the nation’s top prospects for his exploits on the defensive side of the ball, proved he was not a “one trick pony” by toting the ball twice on the drive -- a 4th-and- 1 play and the touchdown run.
“One of our backs separated his shoulder early, so Clowney was able to step in and be effective for us,” Carroll said.
South Pointe would add a field goal by Landon Ard in the second quarter to take a 10-0 lead into the locker room at intermission.
Following a Stallions punt after the break, Fairfield Central’s running game cranked it up a notch, the legs of Griffins tailback Jimmy Walker eventually getting into the end zone from six yards out.
On several more occasions Fairfield Central would get into South Pointe territory during the second half, however, none of the drives would come away with points, much to the disappointment of head coach Reggie Kennedy.
“That’s a good defense over there, one of the best in the state; but we were able to run a bit in the second half and wear them down a bit,” Kennedy said. “But we knew this game would come down to who made the most plays. It just so happened they made more plays than us.”
Carroll also was not happy about his squad leaving points off the board, and more specifically, putting the ball on the ground.
“This was a tough, but sloppy ball game for us,” Carroll said. “To give up four fumbles and still win against a team this good is a tribute to how good our defense played (Friday night).”
South Pointe improved to 7-1 in 2010, and more importantly 3-0 in Region IV-3A going into a contest with Chester which will decide a region champion. Fairfield Central hopes to take care of business Friday against Fort Mill before finishing up the regular season at the rival Cyclones.

Third quarter explosion pushes Northwestern past rival South Pointe

Photo by Joe L. Hughes II

Northwestern quarterback Justin Worley celebrates with receiver Brandon Lewis after the two connected for a touchdown in the third quarter of the team's nationally-televised contest with rival South Pointe. The Trojans would go on to win the game 42-20.

Sometimes it takes a little adversity to reveal the true character of a team.

It didn't take long for Northwestern head coach Jimmy Wallace to get his answer — and he could not be more pleased.

Down 20-7 midway through the third quarter to crosstown rival South Pointe, the Trojans exploded for touchdowns on their next five possessions en route to a 42-20 victory to open the season at Rock Hill's District Three Stadium.

For much of the first half, Northwestern's fans — and more notably its "Air Raid" offense — was silent, helpless as the Stallions defense dominated play. South Pointe forced three turnovers on the afternoon, each of which was converted to points for the team.

Top prospect Jadeveon Clowney, who wreaked havoc in the Trojan backfield all day, was responsible for the the final turnover, stripping Northwestern running back LaThomas Long of the ball a few plays into the third quarter. It didn't take the Stallions long to cash in, with Brian Jennings fighting his way into the end zone to give the team a 13-point advantage, seemingly insurmountable at the time.

"At halftime, I didn't think our kids were handling adversity well," Wallace said. "To win games, you must be able to do so ... I'm sure glad our kids responded like they did."

On the Trojans' next possession, a short slant pass by quarterback Justin Worley to wide receiver Brandon Lewis turned into a 47-yard completion, helping move the ball into the red zone and providing the team a spark. A few plays later, Worley used his escapability to shake free of Clowney, giving the Tennessee commit enough time to find Stewart Hunt for the score.

Now within six points, it would take only three plays for Northwestern to again reach pay dirt and reclaim the lead.

Blessed with good field possession after the Stallions' James Jackson could not control the ensuing kickoff, a long completion by Worley drew the ball within five yards of the goal line. From there, Worley found Long on a screen pass around right end for the score, giving the Trojans a 21-20 lead.

Things went from bad to worse for South Pointe, its next possession also ending with a turnover as Northwestern's Nicholas Cousar intercepted a pass from quarterback Tay Hacklin, returning the ball to the Stallions' 24-yard line. The Trojans' Lewis would win a jump ball in the end zone with an opposing defender on the very next play, pushing the squad's lead to eight points, 28-20.

Northwestern's star quarterback would continue his third quarter mastery of the South Pointe (1-1) defense the next drive, as following another fumble he completed a 51-yard pass to Long before finding his favorite target Robert Joseph in the end zone for a short touchdown pass. The aerial assault would end with a flourish for the Trojans as Worley from the Trojans' 43-yard line hit Lewis in stride, the receiver outrunning a Stallions defender up the sideline for a touchdown, the final salvo in a 42-20 victory.

"We really had a good scheme," said Lewis, who caught six balls for 172 yards and two touchdowns on the day. "I think we gelled well because we had confidence in this team, and the momentum we could create at any time. We believed we could had more will to win this than they did, we just had to bring it out on the field. I think we did just that."

Worley completed 24 of his 33 attempts in the game, passing for 310 yards. He also had five touchdowns and two interceptions on the day.

Each team's defensive front dominated play in the first half, making running the ball difficult for both teams. During the first 24 minutes, however, the Stallions' secondary forced the Northwestern (1-0) aerial attack to be more patient than it wanted to be, holding it scoreless in the first half with the squad's only score coming by way of a fumble return for a touchdown early in the first quarter.

However, like a ticking time bomb, it was only a matter of when — not if— the Trojans' offense would explode ... and boy did it do just that.

"It looked like it would be a defensive game for a while," Wallace said. "But I have to give credit to our offensive coordinators, they did a great job. This was a good win; we're going to celebrate but we know it's on to the next one; we'll have to be ready."