By Jack Veltri
Correspondent
Not many have been successful in slowing down Northwestern quarterback Xavier Means this season, and neither was Fort Mill.
Means gave the defense plenty of problems throughout the evening, handing the Yellow Jackets a 49-20 loss on Senior Night at Bob Jones Stadium. Fort Mill falls to 7-2 on the year and 2-2 in Region 2-5A play.
Coming into the game on Friday, Oct. 23, Means had been a true dual-threat for the Trojans, racking up nearly 2,400 all-purpose yards through eight games. He alone was responsible for most of Northwestern’s offensive success, finishing with 538 total yards, 264 passing and 274 rushing, and six touchdowns.
The Jackets managed to force Means into throwing an interception in the third quarter, but by that point, the Trojans had already done enough to be comfortably ahead.
“It’s tough to prepare for, honestly,” said Fort Mill head coach Rob McNeely of Means. “It’s almost like trying to get ready for a Wing-T team; you don’t see it that much. But yeah, it’s hard to replicate in practice with his speed and his accuracy. I don’t think his O-line gets talked about enough. They’re very technically sound, and obviously the guys that they got on the perimeter pose a threat too. So, they kind of open it up for him. But yeah, he’s a great player.”
After quickly falling behind 14-0, Fort Mill got on the board on a 25-yard touchdown catch by junior wide receiver Jerrell Douglas late in the first quarter. But eight seconds later, Northwestern went right back up by double digits on an 80-yard touchdown catch-and-run by senior receiver Kadin Vassel.
That was the issue the Jackets ran into for most of the night. They made some plays, but nowhere near enough to keep up with Northwestern — a two-time defending state championship-winning team.
Junior quarterback Harper Love finished completing 16-of-38 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns. Senior receiver Jameson Terrell led the way in the receiving game with five catches for 185 yards and two scores.
However, there were clear struggles in the passing game as Love completed just 42 percent of his passes.
“Maybe Harper was trying to get rid of them a little too early and not make a mistake,” McNeely said. “We don’t want him to play like that with the overthrows and that kind of thing. But Harper is just going to be Harper, man. I love that kid. He doesn’t want to do anything to hurt the team.”
With one game left in the regular season, Fort Mill very much remains in good shape for the postseason. Hosting a home playoff game for the first time since 2014, however, could come down to what happens next week.
“Yeah, but we’ve got to learn from this,” McNeely said, when asked if part of his message to the team was that everything is still in front of them. “I think we’re better than maybe what we put out. But that’s a really good football team. So yeah, we’ve got to get back to work.”
The Yellow Jackets will travel to Boiling Springs next Friday, Oct. 30. Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m.
