South Pointe Rallies To Beat Crosstown Rival, Northwestern
After mistakes on consecutive drives got the South Pointe Stallions down 14-3 in the first half, they were able to cut the lead 14-10 and eventually take the 17-14 lead in the third quarter and hold on for a season-opening victory.
The Stallions got on the board first with a 27-yard field goal by Wyatt Grantham on their first drive. The Trojans defense would start making life hard for the Stallion offense. But the Stallions would make it even harder for themselves. A fake punt inside their own 30 yard line went extremely wrong, putting Northwestern in business deep in Stallion territory. The Trojans would take the lead with a two-yard run by Tay McRoey. Nick Acus’s extra point was good. On the next drive, the Stallions would fumble the ball back to the Trojans. They would make them pay. Riley Duran connected with Ger-Ca Caldwell for a 29-yard touchdown pass. The extra point made it 14-3.
Before the first half was over, South Pointe was able to cut the lead with a six-yard run by Quay Chambers. Grantham’s kick cut it to 14-10. That would be the score at half-time. The Stallions would get a solid drive going in the third quarter. Aided by some penalties by the Trojan defense, the Stallions were able to retake the lead with another touchdown run by Quay Chambers. This was from two yards out. The extra point by Grantham made it 17-14.
It would be a defensive slugfest from that point forward. In the final minute, the Trojans looked like they were getting a solid drive going. It appeared they made it close to the Stallions 45 yard line, but a holding penalty took away a 16-yard gain and South Pointe would not let Northwestern have another chance.
“It was a really good win. I was proud of the defense. We started off slow, the whole team, the offense and defense.” Said South Pointe head coach Devonte Holloman “It was a great atmosphere just like I remember it. It was a good perspective for me. But I’m proud of our boys for handling the big stage and the bright lights. It was a great team win. Of course, we have to get better on our offensive side and special teams. We still have to get better on our defensive side, communicating. We have a lot of work to do.”
“We can’t make the mistakes we did against a good football team, period.” Said Northwestern head coach Page Wofford “We had them at half-time. We felt good about it. We came out and struggled to move the ball in the third quarter. In the second half, they stiffened up and we really didn’t have an answer for it. Defensively, we played really well. If you were to tell me 17 points before the game, I would’ve said we’ll take it right now. We got to do a better job as a whole.”
Northwestern (0-1) will host Byrnes (1-0). South Pointe (1-0) will host their other cross-town rival, Rock Hill (0-1).
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