By Jack Veltri
Correspondent
YORK – Fort Mill football finally got a taste of what it was like to win. The Yellow Jackets snapped an 18-game losing streak with a 25-15 win over Lugoff-Elgin last Friday. All was right in the world.
However, there was a lot of football left to play as the struggles that had hindered them all year came back to bite them. Fort Mill fell behind quickly and could never make it a game losing 34-0 to York on Friday.
Outside of the one win, it’s been a tough year for the Jackets. They now move to 1-4 with Region 3-5A play starting next week against Blythewood Friday, Sept. 29.
“It’s hard to win football games, and I’ve got to be a better coach,” said Fort Mill head coach Rob McNeely.
After forcing a three-and-out, York would have little to no trouble marching down the field. It got right into the red zone when wide receiver Ayden Davis lined up in a Wildcat formation and broke to the outside for a 6-yard touchdown.
The Cougars would get back into Fort Mill territory on their next drive but were faced with a critical fourth and short. Knowing what another score would do for momentum in the early going, they elected to go for it.
On fourth down, Davis, once again back as the Wildcat quarterback, used his speed to run for 23 yards and move his team into the red zone. A few plays later, running back Javarus Guthrie ran into the end zone from eight yards out.
Looking to do more damage, York successfully pulled off an onside kick and recovered at the Fort Mill 49-yard line. And the drive would end just like the others had with a touchdown. It would be Guthrie scoring again for his second score of the night.
“They are who they are,” McNeely said. “They’re going to run the ball, they’re going to be physical up front and they’re going to try to get the ball on the perimeter as fast as they can.”
By the end of the first quarter, Fort Mill was already down 21-0.
Things only continued to get worse before they got better. The Jackets couldn’t manage to cross the 50-yard marker in the first half. They were forced to punt on every drive.
After another Fort Mill punt, York got inside the 20 with a 30-yard pass from quarterback Tashon Freeman. Guthrie capped off the drive with a hat trick, his third touchdown in the game. This time, he took it in from eight yards away.
But the Cougars still had another big drive in their system as halftime approached. They would score with just over a minute to go on a rushing touchdown from someone not named Guthrie. Instead, it would be Anthony Wherry who would do the scoring to bring an end to a 34-0 first half.
Down by plenty, McNeely dug into his bag of tricks and started the second half off in style. With his team set to kickoff, Fort Mill recovered an onside kick to start at its own 42.
“Well, to tell you the truth, it wasn’t supposed to be that short. But it worked out for us, and they made a bonehead play. It was nice to do it,” McNeely said.
However, it wouldn’t amount to much as the Jackets proceeded to go three-and-out. It would continue to be a common theme throughout the rest of the game as they couldn’t muster many positive drives.
A combination of penalties and missed throws from quarterback Quinn Kelly would set the offense back on Friday. The Jackets only crossed the 50 once, which came in the final seconds of the game.
“I don’t know. We’re struggling up front, making mental mistakes,” McNeely said. “We’ve got to simplify things even more and put the kids in chances to be successful.”
While there wasn’t much to cheer about, the away crowd would eventually watch something good unfold. With York pushing near the red zone, Freeman threw his first interception of the night. And it would be Fort Mill defensive back Jaylin Chambers who would pick him off.
The Jackets would, once more, punt immediately on their next drive. But their defense did look much improved coming out of the break. They were able to get stops, especially in the red zone, and didn’t allow another point the rest of the way.
“We bent a little bit but didn’t break in the second half, and that’s just a testament to the heart of the kids, especially on defense,” McNeely said.
