Nov. 29—STROM THURMOND 15, FAIRFIELD CENTRAL 13
JOHNSTON — It all came down to three yards Friday night.
Three yards from history, from legacy, from a chance at high school football immortality.
Three yards was all that stood between Fairfield Central and overtime. The Griffins had driven for an improbable touchdown with no time remaining to get within two points of Strom Thurmond, and the ensuing conversion was the only thing standing in the way.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSomething else was in the way — the Strom Thurmond defense, one that made big stop after big stop all night and now had a shot at the biggest stop of the season.
Dre Walker took the direct snap and plowed right into the heart of the Rebels' Blue Steel defense, where he was first met by Bryston Coleman before several others joined in to form a pile-up at the goal line.
Short.
Maybe by an inch, maybe by less, but all that mattered was the official signal that he didn't make it.
That sent the Strom Thurmond sideline pouring onto the field to celebrate winning the Class AA Upper State title, bringing with it a trip to the state championship game for the first time in 20 years.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe top-ranked Rebels will play at 4 p.m. Dec. 6 against Lower State champion and fifth-ranked Hampton County at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg.
"Unbelievable. We've been in that spot before," said Strom Thurmond head coach Andrew Webb, referring to a two-point stop the Rebels made in overtime to win their region opener in early October. "We've been in that spot before at Batesburg-Leesville. We just kept telling those guys that defense wins championships, and they know it. What wins championships? Defense. The defense made a heck of a stop right there at the end. Proud of them."
The defense was the story all night for Strom Thurmond (12-2), which allowed only 148 total yards to a high-powered Fairfield Central (10-4) offense that was still plenty potent without starting quarterback Kaden Diggs.
Zy Rouse's three-yard touchdown run with only 1:16 left gave the Rebels a 15-7 lead, capping a 92-yard drive that chewed up 7:50 of the clock. But the lead remained only one score after Fairfield Central blocked the extra point, and a short kickoff was run back into Strom Thurmond territory with 1:05 still on the clock.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Griffins had little time remaining, and they wasted none of it. They made it down to the 4-yard line with 16 seconds left, and Derek Cammon crossed the goal line from a yard out as the clock hit triple zeroes.
Webb used a timeout to talk things over with his guys, then sent them back out onto the field to end the game.
"Just play defense. Line up and play defense," he said. "Boys got in there and played physical. Unbelievable. Unbelievable."
It was a grind-it-out game from the opening kickoff, with both teams flexing the muscle on both sides of the ball that made this meeting feel like a mirror match.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementStrom Thurmond dominated time of possession thanks to a few lengthy drives by the offense, while the defense came up big on third and fourth downs to keep the sixth-ranked Griffins from gaining the early momentum they had ridden to some big wins to reach the state semifinals.
The Rebels opened the game with an eight-play, 75-yard scoring drive, bookended by big-time carries by Deonte Phillips. He took his first touch of the game 37 yards, then finished the drive with a seven-yard score during which he broke several tackles.
Strom Thurmond got a couple of defensive stops, and then was right back on the move with the ball holding a 6-0 lead late in the second quarter.
Then Walker stepped in front of a Bri'Shaun Lee pass and housed it from 61 yards out, and out of nowhere Fairfield Central was in front, leaving Strom Thurmond facing a deficit for the first time in over a month.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Rebels weren't down for long. Strom Thurmond led 9-7 at the half following a 28-yard field goal by Justus Daly with no time remaining in the second quarter.
"That's the first field goal we've attempted all year. All year," Webb said. "We practiced it yesterday right there on that field. Same spot. 'Where you do like it?' 'I like it right here, Coach.' It worked out good, and we needed it."
Fairfield Central adjusted offensively after losing Diggs to a leg injury on the Griffins' first offensive possession, with Kamauri Jones handling most of the snaps until short-yardage situations, in which case they let Walker take direct snaps and run with it.
They were right back in one of those situations to start the second half, looking at a fourth down from the Strom Thurmond 6. Walker took the direct snap and made his move forward, only to jump into the air and lob a pass to tight end Kevin Watson who had snuck from the backfield and was open in the end zone.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEnter Kaleb Simpkins, who alertly retreated to, while facing Watson, get his hands up to break up the pass and preserve the 9-7 lead.
"That's just a ball player making a play," said Webb, adding that the jump pass wasn't something they saw during film study. "I said last week that playmakers make plays whether they've got the ball or not. The third-down catch he had early in the fourth quarter to get us out of our own end zone was humongous. Players make plays, and we're just blessed to have some good ones."
The catch was another potential play-of-the-year moment for the Rebels, who were losing the field position battle in a big way after the teams traded fourth-down stops. They were facing a third-and-long from their own 5 when quarterback Bri'Shaun Lee aired one out down the home sideline for Simpkins, who bobbled it and caught it between two defenders for a 48-yard gain that got the Rebels out of the shadow of their own field house and gave them a fresh set of downs with the clock rolling.
They converted twice on fourth down to keep the drive going, forcing Fairfield Central to start burning its timeouts to keep time on the clock. Then came Rouse's touchdown run with only 1:16 left, capping another big night for the Rebels' offensive line and run game. They finished with 208 yards on 50 carries, and Phillips' team-best 84 yards pushed him past 1,0000 for the season.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Offensive line was great, man. They battled," Webb said. "That's a good football team. We had to work for that. Deonte, he's the heart of our team. I've said it before. His personality is infectious. His competitive spirit is awesome. Proud of him."
Lee added 48 yards on the ground, and for the second consecutive week he showed that he can be a weapon on designed run plays. The Rebels didn't run him much throughout the year, but there's no holding back in November. They turned him loose, and he picked up several key conversions to keep drives alive.
The Rebels knew they'd be facing a big test from a Fairfield Central team with an explosive offense featuring a deep-strike passing attack that was going to challenge a defense that faced several run-dominant offenses in recent weeks.
The Griffins took a hit without Diggs, who spent a chunk of the first half on the bench before leaving the stadium on a stretcher, waving to a packed visitors' section on his way to a waiting ambulance.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementStill, there was plenty for the Rebels' defense to have to stop, and Jones didn't hesitate to throw it downfield. Strom Thurmond was in no mood to be beaten over the top, however, and a 16-yard completion to Ty'quarius Shannon accounted for 35.6% of the Griffins' passing yardage and was their longest offensive play of the night.
"Never quit. Ain't no quit in these boys," Webb said. "They're going to fight. They play to the standard of pride, class, courage and the will to win. They play for all the people that's come before us and made Strom Thurmond special. The good Lord sure has blessed us."
The win caps a perfect 9-0 season at home, completing a goal set in the spring by the seniors. Now there's just one goal left, and that's to win a state championship the program has waited two decades to try to reach again.
"It's hard to put into words," Webb said. "Hard to put into words, but these guys deserve it. These coaches deserve it. We're going to go to work on Monday."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFC 0 7 0 6 — 13
ST 6 3 0 6 — 15
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
ST — Deonte Phillips 7 run (conversion failed) 7:12
Second Quarter
FC — Dre Walker 61 interception return (Sidney Wilson kick) 2:55
ST — Justus Daly 28 field goal 0:00
Fourth Quarter
ST — Zy Rouse 3 run (kick blocked) 1:16
FC — Derek Cammon 1 run (conversion failed) 0:00
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
FC — Kenyan Douglas 6-33, Derek Cammon 8-29-1, Kaden Diggs 3-20, Dre Walker 4-12, Kamauri Jones 3-9. Totals 24-103-1.
ST — Deonte Phillips 17-84-1, Bri'Shaun Lee 11-48, Zy Rouse 11-31-1, Kaden Wigfall 7-20, Tranquillis Mathis 3-18, Shaheed Williams 1-7. Totals 50-208-2.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPassing
FC — Kamauri Jones 6-10-48-0-0, Kaden Diggs 1-1-(-3)-0-0, Dre Walker 0-1. Totals 7-12-45-0-0.
ST — Bri'Shaun Lee 4-9-74-0-1.
Receiving
FC — Ty'quarius Shannon 1-16, Scott Young 2-13, Dre Walker 3-8, Kenyan Douglkas 1-8. Totals 7-45.
ST — Kaleb Simpkins 2-58, Shaheed Williams 2-16. Totals 4-74.
Interceptions
FC — Dre Walker 1-61-1.
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