Four rushing touchdowns from the Bruins’ quarterback, 17 tackles from Edric Cooper, and a fourth quarter of South Florence football that had everybody on their feet in West Columbia.
WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. Standing on the sideline Friday night, you could tell early what kind of game plan South Florence football brought to town. Snap, handoff or keeper, bodies colliding, chains moving. Then do it again.
De’eric Davis threw the ball six times all night. He didn’t need to throw it more than that.
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound senior quarterback carried 16 times for 182 yards and four touchdowns, and from field level, every one of those carries looked like trouble for the War Eagles. When a quarterback that size gets a head of steam, defenders have a decision to make, and more often than not Friday, the decision was to grab and hope. Davis averaged 11.4 yards a carry, broke one for 49, and led a Bruins rushing attack that piled up 384 yards as the visitors left West Columbia with a 43-36 win over Gray Collegiate Academy.
The Bruins came out swinging with 14 points in the first quarter and took a 21-14 lead into the locker room. Gray Collegiate kept answering, scoring in each of the first three quarters, but coming out of the half South Florence put the hammer down with 15 points in the third to go up 36-21. It was that kind of night on the ground for both teams. All 11 touchdowns came on running plays, six for the Bruins and five for the War Eagles.
If Davis was the thunder, Cameron James was the lightning. The 5-foot-6, 150-pound senior tailback is the kind of back you lose behind the linemen until he pops out the other side, and he did that all night, running 17 times for 152 yards, including a 40-yard run, and scoring a touchdown. Two 100-yard rushers in one night. Sophomore Jayden Allen got in on the scoring too, punching one in on five carries, and junior Semaj Parker gave the Bruins a spark with a 21-yard run, two catches for 14 yards, and a 24-yard kickoff return.
On the other side of the ball, there was one name you kept hearing. Edric Cooper.
The junior linebacker was in on 17 tackles, 13 of them by himself, with a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery. Gray Collegiate ran 67 plays and picked up 29 first downs, and No. 46 was at the bottom of what seemed like half those piles.
Junior safety Xavier Mitchell delivered the other big swing, picking off War Eagles sophomore quarterback Xavier Wright to go with six tackles. Sophomore defensive tackle Zamaury Gathers added seven stops in the trenches. Senior linebacker Sammy Milton had eight tackles, while Jewel Washington, Thomas Wilson, Zachary Gordon and Davey Greene each had seven. Elijah King, Josh Gantt and Greene each finished with two quarterback hurries.
Those takeaways mattered, because on paper, Gray Collegiate had the bigger night. The War Eagles outgained South Florence 562 yards to 402, running for 282 and throwing for 280. Mitchell’s interception and Cooper’s fumble recovery ended two Gray Collegiate possessions, and in a seven-point game, that goes a long way.
Then came the fourth quarter, and Gray Collegiate made it a ballgame.
Down 15, the War Eagles refused to fold. They put up 15 points in the final period, and with every score the home crowd got louder and the Bruins got a little tighter.
Wright was dealing all night. The 5-foot-11 sophomore went 19-of-28 for 280 yards and added 75 yards and a touchdown on the ground, finishing with 355 yards of total offense. Senior running back Trevon Williamson went toe to toe with Davis, and at 6-foot, 215 pounds, he gave South Florence’s tacklers everything they could handle, grinding out 174 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries and hauling in a two-point conversion.
The War Eagles had weapons on the outside, too. Sophomore David Quattlebaum, all 5-foot-7 and 145 pounds, played way bigger than his size, turning four catches into 103 yards, nearly 26 yards a grab. Senior Corey Gleaton led the team with seven catches for 84 yards, senior Jhais McKiever ran for a touchdown and caught three passes for 34 yards, and senior Royce Williamson added two catches for 39.
The kicking game proved important too. Junior kicker Coy Joyner was perfect on five extra points and sent six of seven kickoffs through the end zone, making Gray Collegiate go the long way every time. Senior Isaac Ortiz came through on a two-point conversion in that big third quarter. In a seven-point finish, every one of those points counted.
South Florence football (3-2) heads back into AAAA Region 7 play against Myrtle Beach (2-3). Gray Collegiate (2-3) hits the road Friday, Sept. 25, for a big test at unbeaten Dutch Fork (4-0).
South Florence Football: Players of the Game
Offense: De’eric Davis, South Florence
Defense: Edric Cooper, South Florence
Overall: Zamaury Gathers, South Florence
Special Teams: Isaac Ortiz, South Florence
War Eagles Standout: Trevon Williamson, Gray Collegiate