The Fort Mill Yellow Jackets kicked its 2025 season off at home versus Ballantyne Ridge Friday night getting a 52-6 win.
The Yellow Jackets blew out the Wolves last year to start the season 56-0 and did the same this season. Ballantyne Ridge had revenge on their mind while Fort Mill was trying to win its season opener at home for the first time since 2014.
Both teams got off to a sloppy start as flags flew from all directions. The Wolves committed six penalties in the opening frame. Not to be outdone, Fort Mill was flagged five times in the first quarter.
That aside, the Yellow Jackets got the scoring started at the 6:44 mark first quarter as quarterback Quinn Kelly would scramble 12 yards reaching for the pylon as he took a shot from a Wolves defender. The Noah Hardy extra point was true as Fort Mill led 7-0.
On the ensuing possession, Ballantyne Ridge would strike for an 85-yard touchdown throw from quarterback Ryder Polston to Ty Young. The extra point was blocked making the score 7-6 with 5:42 first quarter.
Fort Mill needed a response and got it on the kickoff as Deveian Southward took it to the end zone from 55 yards out giving Fort Mill a 14-6 lead. Ballantyne Ridge promptly went three and out giving the Yellow Jackets the ball in plus territory. Junior running back Broden Mitcheson bulldozed his way into the end zone from 4-yards out making it 21-6. That would be the score at the end of the first quarter.
The turnover bug bit the Wolves in the second quarter of play. Polston would throw two of his three interceptions in the frame. Fort Mill took advantage as Hardy would bang it in from 21-yards out making it 24-6 Yellow Jackets.
The Yellow Jackets would drive down to the Ballantyne Ridge 2-yard line. Fort Mill head coach Rob McNeely decided to roll the dice and went for it. The Kelly pass was intended for Gray Patterson, but the pass was knocked down by a Wolves defender ending the threat. Or so it seemed.
The second play of the ensuing drive changed the complexion of the game as Polston would roll to his left, but his pass was tipped by Patterson right into the waiting arms of linebacker Joseph Duey as he romped in from 4-yards out giving Fort Mill a 31-6 lead.
The Wolves went three and out again as the clock ticked under a minute to play. Fort Mill didn’t appear to be in hurry up mode as the clock continued to roll, but Mitcheson would take a simple handoff up the middle then bounce it to the outside and take it into the blue and gold end zone on the scoreboard end of the stadium. Another Hardy extra point gave Fort Mill a commanding 38-6 halftime lead.
After the fireworks of the opening half, the second stanza was much more benign.
Fort Mill would score his third touchdown of the night from 3 yards out with 10:05 left third quarter making it 45-6 Yellow Jackets.
Ballantyne Ridge would put together a nice drive deep into Fort Mill territory, but again couldn’t convert it into points. That is when Fort Mill began to clear the bench giving a lot of young second and third stringers some valuable playing time. But that didn’t stop the Fort Mill offense was moving the rock.
With 7:45 left in the game, receiver Jameson Terrell would take a simple screen pass back up the middle of the field scoring from 13-yards finishing the scoring for the night.
It’s the second year in a row that Fort Mill has scored 52 or more points in back-to-back season openers since 2013-14. It’s also the first time Fort Mill put up more than 40 points in a home season opener since 2014 which was a 41-0 win over Lugoff-Elgin.
The Yellow Jackets travel to Chester next Friday night.
