Northwestern makes statement - Trojans get last word against Gaffney, win dogfight 42-28

Photo by Joe L. Hughes II

Northwestern wide receiver Rontavious McClure hauls in his second touchdown over the outstretched arms of a Gaffney defender to clinch the Region III-AAAA title for the Trojans, who defeated the Indians 42-28.

Northwestern head coach Jimmy “Moose” Wallace warned his team in the week leading up to the Trojans’ contest with Gaffney that it would be nothing short of a war.
The two Class AAAA heavyweight went back and forth for three quarters Friday night at Rock Hill’s District 3 Stadium, however, it was Northwestern which had a little more ammo left in its chamber, defeating the Indians and claiming the Region III-AAAA title.
It took a complete team effort for the Trojans to notch the victory, as quarterback and Tennessee prospect Justin Worley found the end zone six times -- five through the air and once on the ground -- while safety Montrece Kennedy grabbed three interceptions, including two in the fourth quarter to halt Gaffney drives.
“I’m proud of our kids,” Wallace said. “We told our kids all week it was going to be a war, a dogfight. … We knew we had to play as good as we could, and our secondary did a good job.”
Things got off to a fast start for Northwestern, intercepting Gaffney quarterback DeEdward Burris on the game’s first play. A few plays later, Worley was able to find his favorite target, wide receiver Robert Joseph, for a 13-yard score to give the team a 7-0 advantage.
Burris and the Indians did not stay on the mat long, however, engineering a drive keyed by the star signal caller’s athleticism both with his arm and legs, with the senior hitting pay dirt on a 6-yard run to tie the game. After forcing a rare Trojans’ three-and-out, Gaffney would take the lead on a 4-yard score from C.J. Miller
During the drive, Burris separated his left (non-throwing) shoulder, an injury that would impact how he and his team played the rest of the game.
Northwestern would tie things at 14 apiece to end the first stanza, hitting Brandon Lewis 24 yards down the center of the field for the score.
With just over four minutes remaining in the first half, Gaffney’s Burris returned to a standing ovation by Indian faithful, driving the offense 56 yards to reclaim the lead at 21-14, with backup quarterback Joey Copeland doing the honors by running it in from a yard out.
A controversial call to end the first half drew the Trojans even as the teams went in for intermission, Worley hitting big target Rontavious McClure on a fade route just over the outstretched hands of a Gaffney defender to make the score 21-21.
“That was big, big, big; we’ve been wanting Rontavious to just go up and get the ball,” Wallace said.
Things slowed down quite a bit in the third quarter, as Northwestern was the only ones to score in the stanza. Following Burris’ second interception of the game, Worley directed a 12 play, 94 yard drive which ended with the quarterback crossing the goal line on a seven yard run, giving the Trojans a 28-21 lead.
As had been the case all game though, Gaffney would again return the favor, the drive ending with Copeland’s second score of the game. But Northwestern would seize control of the contest for good on its next possession, using its short passing game to chip away at the Indians’ defense before hitting it big, this time a 10-yard completion to B.J. Boyd for a 35-28 lead.
The Trojans would put things out of reach with Worley’s sixth score, a 9-yard pass lofted to McClure in the corner of the end zone to give them a 14-point advantage, one it would not relinquish.
The Northwestern quarterback finished 37 of 48 passing, throwing for 427 yards and five scores. He had one interception in the contest. Worley’s top target on the night was Boyd, who hauled in 11 balls for 112 yards.
Gaffney’s Burris was 15 of 25 for 246 yards and four interceptions, gutting things out despite sustaining a shoulder injury early in the first half. Quinshad Davis had 258 yards receiving for the Indians in a losing effort.
Northwestern improves to 10-0 (4-0 S.C. Region III-AAAA), while Gaffney falls to 7-3 (3-1).