BOILING SPRINGS – Fort Mill head football coach Rob McNeely described his team as “a bunch of characters with a lot of character.”
Those “characters” finished the regular season at 8-2 overall and 3-2 in Region II-5A and will host a home playoff game for the first time in more than a decade next week. Fort Mill bulldozed the Boiling Springs Bulldogs for a 44-10 win.
“I am extremely proud of the kids and coaching staff,” McNeely said. “These guys have put in the work. I love them. They play for each other. They have a lot of fun out there. We will celebrate this for a day or so and get back to work.”
Boiling Springs got the opening kickoff and started at the 20-yard line. Their first play from scrimmage they lost 18-yards back to their own two.
Two plays later the Bulldogs punted only to have the Jackets fumble and give Boiling Springs the ball back around their own 35. The Bulldogs then put together a drive resulting in a 31-yard field goal.
Fort Mill came right back, shaking off the turnover in the early score by the Bulldogs to put a scoring drive together of their own. The Jackets scored in eight plays with Jameson Terrell catching a 7-yard touchdown pass from Harper Love with about three minutes left in the opening quarter.
Defensively, Fort Mill struggled to stop the Bulldogs’ run game at times as they worked their way down the field to get into the red zone. Boiling Springs scored with 29 seconds left in the first quarter on a 12-yard pass.
The Jackets took over on offense to start the second quarter and again were able to put together a decent drive. After a fake punt, Love hit Jerrell Douglas for a big 32-yard pick-up, getting Fort Mill to the red zone. They couldn’t punch it into the end zone and had to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Noah Hardy.
After a defensive stop, Fort Mill started near midfield and a couple of Broden Mitcheson runs got the Jackets good field position. Love then hit Terrell for a 32-yard pickup to get to the one-yard line, where Mitcheson scored on the next play.
On the Bulldogs next possession, Deveian Southward picked off a pass giving Fort Mill the ball at the 14-yard line.
Four plays later, the Jackets had to settle for a 20-yard Hardy field goal to put Fort Mill up 20-10.
Boiling Springs picked off Love and was able to move the ball down the field before the half, but missed a 48-yard field goal as the half expired.
The Jackets didn’t waste any time in opening the second half. Aiden O’Hara returned the second half kick 61-yards and then Mitcheson ran in from 36 yards for a score on the first play from scrimmage knocking about 22 seconds off the clock.
Fort Mill kept the Bulldogs out of the end zone. Offensively, the Jackets’ next drive stalled some as they went back to a sure-footed Hardy for a 51-yard field goal with about two minutes left in the third quarter.
Fort Mill kept the scoring going to open the fourth quarter. A two-play series by the Jackets saw Love connect with Terrell for another score on a 56-yard pass with about 11 minutes remaining in the game.
Fort Mill started making substitutions in the fourth quarter but it didn’t keep them from finding the end zone again. Backup quarterback Brody Ranucci connected with tight end Nate Gerhart for a 61-yard pass to get the Jackets to the four-yard line where Mitcheson punched it in two plays later.
Love finished the game going 10-of-20 for 203 yards and two touchdowns. Terrell had both touchdowns to go with four catches for 98 yards. Gerhart also had 98 yards receiving on three catches. Mitcheson ran for 110 yards on 21 carries and three touchdowns.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
