YORK – It’s a great time to be a Yellow Jacket, according to Fort Mill head coach Rob McNeely.
That’s saying something. Fort Mill swept past non-region opponent York Comprehensive High School with a 41-6 win on Friday, Sept. 11, securing a 3-0 start to the 2026 season behind a well-balanced performance on offense and defense.
Four different Yellow Jackets scored touchdowns, the defense nearly secured a shutout, and McNeely said he’s focused on improving the areas of the game where his team wasn’t quite on target.
“Our offensive line gets better every week, the defense is playing really solid,” said McNeely. “We’ve just got to clean up a lot of stuff in the special teams game. We’re normally not that bad, we got let off the hook with some of the mistakes. We’ve got to continue to believe in ourselves. Our coaching staff believes in the players, and that’s a big, big bonus for us.”
Fort Mill dominated on just about every front Friday night.
Following a York turnover midway through the first quarter, the Yellow Jackets surprised the crowd with an unexpected scorer.
Junior quarterback Harper Love (243 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) led his team from its own 25 down to the opposing 23, but couldn’t convert on 3rd and long. Senior kicker Noah Hardy entered to take a 33-yard attempt, but the snap was fumbled. Senior Kieran McCormack took off running, and made it into the left side of the end zone to give Fort Mill an early lead.
The Yellow Jackets doubled their lead on their next drive, less than a minute later.
Taking over the ball at the York 46, senior running back Broden Mitcheson (111 rushing yards on 14 carries) hit the left corner, earned a blocker out in front, and dashed into the end zone on the first play from scrimmage.
Fort Mill opened up the second quarter with an epic 7-minute, 58-yard drive that lasted from its own 28 to the opposing 14. But when Hardy had a chance to kick a 32-yard field goal, the snap flew past the holder, forcing Hardy to scramble and throw the ball out of harm.
The Yellow Jackets’ defense didn’t let the Cougars past their own 44 in the first half.
Love’s offense took control again with 4:14 left in the half on the Fort Mill 40, looking to build a stronger lead.
The quarterback found receiver Kieran McCormack for a 22-yard gain over the middle to push deep into Cougar territory. Five plays later, Mitcheson bull rushed his way into the end zone for his second touchdown of the night to give his team a 21-0 edge.
York quarterback Ryan Brochu threw three incompletions in an effort to give his team a fighting chance, but couldn’t reach his receivers.
On Fort Mill’s next drive, Love connected with McCormack again, this time for a massive 58-yard gain over the middle.
Jerrell Douglas (59 yards on 6 catches) hauled in an 8-yard pass to give Fort Mill a 28-0 halftime lead just two plays later.
Midway through the third quarter, Fort Mill took back over on offense after a York punt landed out of bounds at their own 22. Love found receiver Jameson Terrell (59 yards on six catches) from distance on a 3rd and 9 to give Fort Mill a five-touchdown lead.
Kicker Noah Hardy shanked a 22-yard field goal attempt wide left early in the fourth quarter, but the Yellow Jackets weren’t done scoring. Dylan Thomas picked off backup quarterback TJ Roberts on the Fort Mill 25 and ran the ball back 75 yards to score and give his team a 41-0 lead.
York got on the board in the Cougars’ final drive. Roberts found receiver TJ Sherer on a 50-yard gain over the middle, leading running back Caleb Sanders to convert a 5-yard rush up the middle to give York something to cheer about.
Fort Mill next travels to crosstown rival Nation Ford Sept. 18.
