The last time the Fort Mill Yellow Jackets varsity football team started 4-0, Ronald Reagan was in the White House and gas was $1.21. The year was 1983.
Fort Mill is back there now at 4-0 after having beat the Lancaster Bruins 38-7 on Friday, Sept. 12 at Bob Jones Stadium.
“We are playing complimentary football,” said Fort Mill head coach Rob McNeely. “We haven’t flinched. We just get back out there and play ball. I’m so proud of these guys.”
McNeely credits senior leadership for the turnaround this season.
“They have grit and determination” McNeely said. “That has been the biggest difference.”
The Jackets fumbled the opening kickoff giving it right back to Lancaster. The Bruins couldn’t make anything happen and fumbled a bad snap for a punt allowing the Jackets at the 19-yard line of Lancaster.
Fort Mill quarterback Quinn Kelly then hit receiver Deveian Southward for a 19-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage with 9:43 left in the opening quarter. Kelly was 10-of-12 for 123 yards and three touchdowns in the game.
Fort Mill kept the defensive pressure on Lancaster and intercepted the Bruins with the pick coming from Jeremiah Young.
The Jackets struggled to move the ball, but they went to Noah Hardy to keep things going in their direction as he hit a 52-yard field goal with two minutes left in the opening quarter.
Fort Mill got the ball back in good field position to start the second quarter. The Jackets took over at the Bruins 40-yard line and went eight plays before Kelly hit Gray Patterson for a 5-yard touchdown to put Fort Mill up 17-0.
The Jackets kept momentum after getting another turnover on downs. Fort Mill went 56-yards in another eight-play drive capping off by a Broden Mitcheson 2-yard touchdown run with 1:46 left in the first half.
The score gave Fort Mill a 24-0 lead which they took to the locker room at the half.
Lancaster opened the second half taking the ball and putting together a lengthy drive eating up the clock. They went 15-plays, but missed a 35-yard field goal as they failed to score.
Fort Mill got the ball with 4:30 left on the clock in the third quarter and didn’t waste any time getting into the end zone on just five plays as Kelly hit Parker DeWolfe for a 44-yard touchdown extending the Jackets lead.
Lancaster struggled to get their offense into the end zone. After another turnover on downs by the Bruins, the Jackets put together another lengthy scoring drive capped off by Mitcheson 15-yard run, for his second touchdown of the game. Mitcheson was big on the ground for Fort Mill as he rushed for 177 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns.
Lancaster finally found pay dirt as Dee Mobley scored with an 88-yard run in the Bruins next possession with 8:16.
The Jackets started to use backups midway through the fourth quarter as they did their jobs and milked the clock to add another win to their impressive start. The last time Fort Mill started 5-0 was also in 1983, but they will have their work cut out for them if they were to do that. The Jackets travel to Catawba Ridge next Friday, Sept. 19 to open Region 3-5A play.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
