In the matter of four first-quarter offensive plays and 2 minutes, 36 seconds, Sumter High turned a 0-0 tie against Blythewood into a 17-0 lead en route to a 45-0 win in the first round of the 4A Division I state playoffs on Friday at Memorial Stadium.
The Gamecocks, seeded No. 5, won their 10th straight game en route to a 10-2 record and will host No. 13 Spartanburg, which knocked off No. 4 and undfeated Rock Hill 41-28. Much like last year, the Gamecocks were slated to have only one home game, but thanks to upsets, hosted second- and third-round games.
KELLEYTOWN The Sumter High School Gamecocks claimed the Region VI-4A title on Friday with a 35-13 win over the Hartsville Red Foxes at Kelleytown Stadium.
The Sumter defense shined throughout the night, holding Hartsvilles Dre Scott to 108 yards on 17 carries and holding Red Fox quarterback Shawn Smith to less than 30 yards passing for the night.
Sumter head coach Paul Sorrells, after being doused with Gatorade, said there were some mistakes, but the result was a championship.
The third quarter was a bit disappointing, but we took care of business in the fourth. Im really proud of our guys, and coaches. We knew it would be a hard-fought game, but we got the running game going again in the second half and ended the game.
Hartsville scored on its opening drive, but that was the last score it would get until the fourth quarter.
The Gamecocks answered on its opening drive when quarterback Stephen Curtis found wide receiver Tyler Smith for a 60-yard touchdown. Sumter never looked back after that. Curtis finished the first half with 149 yards passing as he went 8-for-13 with one touchdown and one interception.
Smith also had 100 yards receiving on just four catches.
The Red Foxes had two turnovers in the first half and Sumter made the most of those mistakes.
The Sumter High School offense had a subpar first half in its varsity football game against Conway High School on Friday at Memorial Stadium. The Gamecocks only scored 41 points.
After two straight weeks of scoring 42 points in the first half, a missed extra point prevented SHS from matching that total for a third consecutive week. It didnt prevent Sumter from picking up an easy victory, however, as it rolled to a 55-14 victory.
The victory is the Gamecocks eighth in a row after starting the season with two losses. The win also improves SHS to 4-0 in Region VI-4A and sets up a showdown with Hartsville for the region crown on Friday at Kelleytown Stadium. Hartsville improved to 4-0 in the region and 9-1 overall with a 27-20 victory over South Florence on Thursday in Florence.
Sumter head coach Paul Sorrells was pleased that his team again came out and took care of business.
For the last three or four weeks our kids have come out and done what they were supposed to do, said Sorrells, whose team rolled up 331 yards of total offense in the first half and led 27-0 after one quarter. What weve been stressing to them is to come out and get better from week to week.
My hats off to my guys because theyve done what theyve needed to do, he said. Our reserves came in and played good as well.
FLORENCE - The Sumter High School varsity football team more than met the challenge laid forth by head coach Paul Sorrells prior to Thursday's game against West Florence at Florence Memorial Stadium.
"I was really proud of our guys," said Sorrells, whose team rolled over the Knights 56-7. "A Thursday night game, playing against a team that's been struggling a little bit, and you really worry about your team being ready to play.
FLORENCE Mistakes can be a killer for any football team.
For South Florence High School, it was the self-inflicted ones that hurt the most against Sumter on Friday. The Bruins committed six turnovers that led to 31 SHS points as the Gamecocks left Memorial Stadium with a 45-27 win in the Region VI-4A opener for both teams.
"We hurt ourselves tremendously tonight," said South Florence head coach Lynn Fleming, whose team dropped to 4-3 overall. "The mistakes we made were tough to overcome against a team like Sumter." "(Forcing turnovers) is what we try to do every single time we play," said Sumter head coach Paul Sorrells, whose team won its fifth straight contest to improved to 5-2. "(The Bruins) can say they shot themselves in the foot, but a lot of those turnovers were caused by our defense." South's first four possessions of the contest ended with disastrous results. Fumbles ended three of the drives, and a fourth ended on downs deep in Gamecock territory.
Sumter was only able to score 10 points off the early miscues, a point which distressed Sorrells.
"We should have scored 21 points in the first three minutes of the game," he said. "But we didn't take advantage of (our opportunities)." Senior quarterback Stephen Curtis was the offensive star for Sumter, throwing two touchdown passes and rushing for two more. He also rushed for 76 yards on 15 carries while completing 11 of 28 passes for 116 yards.
Running back Romaine Prince added a TD run, and defensive end Will Shaw returned a fumble 26 yards for a score. Danneil Duncan picked off two passes and caught a TD pass for the Gamecocks.
(Sumter's) a well-coached football team, and they'll take advantage of mistakes," Fleming said. "We'll have to go to the drawing board and suit it up next week."
Defensively, the Gamecocks harassed Michael Muhammad all night. In relief of the injured Kaleb Griffin, the junior signal caller threw three interceptions but also fired three TD passes to tight end Trent Dowd.
After a 0-2 start, the Sumter High School football team has reeled off four straight victories. With the Gamecocks opening Region VI-4A play today against South Florence at Memorial Stadium in Florence beginning at 7:30 p.m., head coach Paul Sorrells hopes to maintain the momentum.
Your whole season isn't dependent on whether you win the region, but you know if you win it, you're guaranteed a home game in the (4A Division I) state playoffs, said Sorrells, whose squad played for the state crown last season. Now we were able to do that (get a home game) despite not winning the region, but you'd rather win the region.
It makes region play a whole lot more important, and the way our region has gone, if you don't win them all, you're probably not going to win the region. You want to win the region because you want to build up a head of steam heading into the playoffs.
The Gamecocks will be going up against a South Florence team that is 4-2 on the season, matching its victory total of the past two seasons combined. The Bruins have been an up-and-down group, beating Crestwood 34-29 three weeks ago only to fall to Darlington 41-0 the following week. Last week, they beat Ridge View 21-20 when quarterback Kaleb Griffin connected with wide receiver Charles Nettles for an 81-yard touchdown pass in the last minutes of the game.
They are a much improved team from last year, Sorrells said of South Florence, which was 2-9 last season, including a 38-10 loss to SHS. They have a balanced attack; they like to run it and throw it. They like to get it out on the edge and get around the corner.
Sumter overcame what head coach Paul Sorrells called the "ugliest quarter of football I guess I've ever seen" Friday to record a 34-20 victory over Spring Valley at Sumter Memorial Stadium.
The Vikings took the opening kickoff and drove 60 yards in 16 plays, stalling out at the Sumter 5. The drive was kept alive by two pass interference penalties before Kevin Knapp came on to boot a 22-yard field goal that put Spring Valley up 3-0 with 5:09 left in the quarter.
Sumter then fumbled the ball back to Spring Valley on its first play from scrimmage, giving the Vikings the ball at the Gamecock 28. Spring Valley moved to the Sumter 2 before Markese Mason coughed up the ball, with Sumter taking over at its 4.
Three plays later, the Gamecocks were called for holding in the end zone. The resulting safety made the score 5-0 with 2:34 left in the quarter. Sumter's defense held on the Vikings next possession but the Gamecocks closed the quarter with two yards of offense on about a minute-and-a half possession time.
"I guess I could just sum it up like this fair week, homecoming week, full moon," Sorrells said. "We were glad to get through this week, 4-2 now in our non-region schedule and (ready to) start region (play) next week." Sumter had one more hiccup early in the second quarter before finally righting the ship. Punting from his 12, Michael Snyder bobbled the snap before getting off a 24-yard punt that gave Spring Valley the ball at the Gamecock 36. A 24-yard pass from Austin Hill to Corey Miller moved the ball to the 12 and Hill ran for eight yards, then four for the score, with Knapp's PAT kick making it 12-0 with 10:32 left in the first half.
The Gamecocks found the end zone on each of their next three possessions, beginning with Romaine Prince's 12-yard run at the 8:00 mark. Next, Stephen Curtis hooked up with Avery Woods for a 33-yard score, then Curtis ran five yards for the third score, capping a 10-play, 56-yard drive.
Sumter's final score of the half came as Janssen Hickmon stripped the ball from the grasp of Randall Lawyer and raced 12 yards for the touchdown, giving the Gamecocks a 27-12 halftime edge.
The Gamecocks' final score of the game came on the opening drive of the second half. Sumter drove 73 yards in eight plays, with Curtis and Woods once again making the connection for 46 yards and the touchdown. Prince had a 21-yard run on the drive's second play that got Sumter out of a third-and-17 hole after Curtis was sacked for a 7-yard loss back to the 20.
The score remained the same until Spring Valley added a late score as Mason broke up the middle, then right for a 30-yard scamper with 1:37 left. Mason ran for two as the Vikings faked a kick attempt. Sumter had two fumbles and two interceptions in the second half, with the Vikings' late score coming after the second interception.
Homecoming. The Sumter County Fair. Facing a team that youve beaten by a combined score of 95-33 the past two seasons.
Thats what Sumter High School head football coach Paul Sorrells and his staff have had to battle this week as the Gamecocks prepare to take on Spring Valley today at 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. Of the three, having his team take the Vikings for granted after blasting it the past two season is the one that worries Sorrells the most.
Theyve improved a lot, especially in the running game, Sorrells said of Spring Valley, which is off to a 2-3 start this season after going 1-21 the past two years. We need to be ready. I hope we dont relax, dont take the night off because weve fared pretty well against them the past two years.
Sumter, which beat Spring Valley 34-6 last season and 61-27 in 2007, has won three straight games after losing its first two. The Gamecocks are coming off a 10-0 victory over Greenwood in which they held the Eagles to 26 rushing yards and 115 yards of total offense.
Sorrells expects Spring Valleys running attack to present more of a challenge, especially when it lines up in a one-back, shotgun formation.
Theyve got a zone and zone read play that they run and No. 42 (Markese Mason) looks like hes averaging about eight yards a carry on that play, Sorrells said.
Actually, Masons average is only 7.8 yards a carry. He has rushed the football 55 times for 429 yards and seven touchdowns. He had a 189-yard, four-TD effort in a 28-21 win over Lexington and rushed for 115 yards and another score on 23 carries in last weeks 21-17 loss to Hartsville.
The Sumter High School defense was hardly done with warmups before being called on for a goal-line stand.
The Gamecocks made the stand, however, and smothered Greenwood all game in a 10-0 win at Memorial Stadium on Friday. The Eagles had just 141 yards of offense on the night.
Sumter got above .500 for the first time on the year at 3-2. Greenwood fell to 3-2.
Sumters Danneil Duncan took the opening kickoff out to the 30-yard line, but as he was stood up, Greenwoods Devante Parks just simply took the ball from Duncan and returned it down to the Sumter 11. Greenwood went back five yards on the first play before a 12-yard completion from DJ Dunlap to Carson Simpson had the Eagles set up with third down and goal at the 4.
Two straight runs, however, lost another two yards to turn the ball over on downs.
That was a terrible way and a great way to start, said SHS head coach Paul Sorrells. When they defer (the coin toss) you want to do something with it. For our defense to go in there and hold them, that was really big.
Greenwood head coach Gene Cathcart knew his team needed to come through on its first opportunity. Although he didnt know it at the time, it was its last of the game.
We knew with a young offense and a depleted receiver corps that we needed to convert that, said Cathcart. We didnt get it done. You have to give Sumter credit. They bowed up and kept us out.
The Gamecock offense couldnt help themselves though. Sumter was able to go on a 12-play, 68 yard drive that spanned the end of the first and the start of the second quarters that Ethan Epps finished with a 25-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 10:29 left in the second stanza.
That score held until the 6:55 mark of the third quarter when quarterback Stephen Curtis hooked up with wide receiver Tyler Smith for a 25-yard touchdown pass.
We knew coming in that this was two evenly-matched teams, said Sorrells. We all felt like they were a solid team, well coached. Our defense played really well. Our defense did better than their defense because we were able to find 10 points.
It was two Fridays ago that Sumter High School head football coach Paul Sorrells was concerned about his team not having confidence in itself after starting the season with a 0-2.
Now that the Gamecocks have knocked off both Spartanburg and White Knoll in convincing fashion to even their record at 2-2, Sorrells doesnt have to worry about that anymore. But ....
Theres always something to worry about, and now we dont want them getting too overconfident, said Sorrells, whose squad will play host to Greenwood today at 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. Weve just been telling them that this is all a piece of the whole (season).
Theres not a whole lot riding on this game; its not going to decide anything about the playoffs, but what were trying to get across to them is where this could lead down the road. You want to build up a head of steam and keep rolling going into the playoffs. We look at every game as being of the utmost importance.
Sumter will be going up against a Greenwood team that is 3-1 on the season and is coming off a 21-5 victory over Spartanburg, a team the Gamecocks beat 34-21 two weeks ago. Greenwoods lone loss was 35-14 to Dorman.
The Eagles are in their first season under head coach Gene Cathcart, who had been an assistant at Presbyterian College. Sorrells said there is nothing flashy about Greenwood; it just plays good football.
Theyre just a good, solid football team, he said. I know Gene Cathcart, and he does a good job, so I know theyre going to be ready. Were going to have to be ready.
Tyler Smith has already made a name for himself on the baseball diamond for Sumter High School. Turns out, he aint too bad on the gridiron either.
Smith caught three passes all touchdowns for 128 yards as the Gamecocks took White Knoll behind the woodshed for a 48-13 victory on Friday at Memorial Stadium.
Hes something isnt he? Hes a great kid, said SHS head coach Paul Sorrells. I love to watch him play. Hes a big ole target with great hands. I tell him all the time that I dont know if he has any idea how good a football player he could become. It was a good night for him.
(Quarterback) Stephen (Curtis) hit him with the passes, he added. That was a good night for him (Smith). Im sure hes having a great time.
Sumter evens its record at 2-2. White Knoll fell to 1-3.
The billing on the marquee will say: Football, White Knoll at Sumter, Friday, 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. Sumter High School head coach Paul Sorrells said that fans will be thinking theyre watching a distant cousin of American football when White Knoll has the football.
It will look like were playing rugby, Sorrells said while talking about the Timberwolves double-wing offense and what it brings to the field. They try to shorten the game by holding on to the football. They are literally three or four yards and a cloud of dust. Thats what theyre trying to accomplish, and theyre pretty good at it.
First-year White Knoll head coach Gordon Walters installed the double-wing upon his arrival in Lexington. The Timberwolves are 1-2 on the season, losing to Lugoff-Elgin 34-0 in their opener before beating Lower Richland 36-19. White Knoll lost to Airport 24-14 last week.
Playing on the road with a 0-2 record, things did not look good for the Sumter High School football team on Friday when Spartanburgs Kelvin Wilkins stepped in front of a Gamecock receiver to intercept a Stephen Curtis pass and return it 50 yards for a touchdown to give the Vikings a 14-7 lead with 10 minutes left in the third quarter.
While there was a lot of time left in the second half, the problem for Sumter was it was the second half. SHS had struggled to put points up in the second half of its two losses, scoring six points in a 30-27 loss to Crestwood and eight late points in a 27-14 loss to Stratford.
The Gamecocks responded in a big way, scoring 21 unanswered points to open a 28-14 lead and scoring one more time after Spartanburg had cut the deficit to seven points to pick up a 34-21 victory at Wofford Colleges Gibbs Stadium.
I dont know if Ive been more proud of a team on the way it responded in a football game, Sorrells said early on Monday afternoon. Im going to tell them the same thing today at practice.
Sorrells said his team played with tremendous effort, taking heed of the coaching staffs words to play at full speed and if mistakes were made, at least they were giving complete effort.
It was a nightmare that the Sumter High School football team couldn't wake up from.
The offense couldn't stay on the field against Stratford and the Knights did whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted on offense as they cruised to a worse-than-the-score-indicates 27-14 victory at Memorial Stadium on Friday.
I thought our defense did a good job of going out there and kept fighting, said Sumter head coach Paul Sorrells, whose team fell to 0-2 on the season. We just couldn't answer with any offense. We kept putting the defense in a bad spot.
We've got a lot to work on, he said. We're just not a good football team right now it's pretty obvious.
The Knights had 363 yards on 76 plays. The Gamecocks had just 59 offensive plays and gained 233 yards including just 43 yards on 18 carries.
We don't have a running game, said Sorrells. Of course, we knew that coming in that that was going to be a big challenge, but you don't win championships in the first two, three, four games. We have to find ourselves. These coaches are going to work and the players are going to work.
