Coaches set for North-South game

Rivalry tiebreaker: Northwestern, South Pointe have won 4 games apiece since series began in 2006

Published: September 27, 2012

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More information 2006: Northwestern 28-14 -- The first meeting was decided by the Trojans’ running game. Marqueese Neely was nearly unstoppable running over and past the Stallions. 2007: Northwestern 41, South Pointe 18 -- This was supposed to be the year of redemption for the Stallions, but Northwestern’s Jimmy Wallace returned to coaching and hired Kyle Richardson to install the “Air Raid’’ passing game. It made Trojans QB Will King look like Joe Montana. 2008: South Pointe 28, Northwestern 7 -- If Justin Worley wasn’t already one of the best quarterbacks in the country, he was working on it by destroying opponents with his cannon-like right arm. But South Pointe coach Bobby Carroll had an unusual game plan. He rushed only three and sometimes two players at Worley and put the other eight or nine players in coverage. South Pointe’s rushers were too fast for Northwestern’s offensive linemen to block and Worley was under fire all night. 2008: South Pointe 35, Northwestern 14: The two were in different brackets in the Class AAAA Division II playoffs and met in the championship game at Clemson. Worley played better because he took off running for several nice gains. But the game for the Trojans came down to hemming up South Point’s elusive quarterback, Stephon Gilmore, who led his team to a 15-0 record in just their third year of varsity football. 2009: South Pointe 30, Northwestern 7 -- With the win, South Pointe improved its record to 4-2. Northwestern dropped to 1-5 but was nowhere near being done. It was a season in which the Trojans had a lot of new offensive players and were searching for the right rhythm. 2009: Northwestern 24, South Pointe 6 -- Northwestern turned the tables in the Class AAAA Division II state semifinals and knocked South Pointe out of a state championship with it 18-point win. But still the Trojans couldn’t get the job done again, losing 33-24 to Berkeley. They were grabbing for air all night trying to get ahold of Bruce Ellington, who played like he was on roller skates. He’s a standout at South Carolina. 2010: Northwestern 42, South Pointe 20 -- The Stallions and Trojans meet in a Saturday afternoon game as part of an ESPN doubleheader telecast nationally. The Stallions appeared to have the game in hand with a 20-7 lead at the half, but enter Worley. He passed for five third-quarter touchdowns in just under five minutes and the Trojans cruised to a big win. South Pointe made it back to the Class AAA state championship with veteran defensive ends Jadeveon Clowney and Gerald Dixon but couldn’t run down Myrtle Beach quarterback Everick Golson in a 27-23 loss. Northwestern was more fortunate. It was their third straight trip to the championship and this time the Trojans won, 42-10, over Greenwood, which got ripped apart by Worley’s laser blast passes. 2011: South Pointe 16, Northwestern 10 -- South Pointe won this close game in the rivalry and didn’t pass midfield until its final possession of the first half. The Trojans scored on a Matt Turney run in the second quarter but South Pointe tied it late in the half, with Manzey Miller scoring after a turnover. Miller put the Stallions ahead for good with a 26-yard run early in the second half,

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By Barry Byers — bbyers@heraldonine.com

If you’re one of the city football fans thinking that the series between South Pointe and Northwestern has become the best in town, get in line.

Rock Hill has struggled in recent years after winning state titles in 2002 and 2004, while South Pointe and Northwestern have moved way ahead and are constants in the top five of the state polls.

This week, Northwestern is 4-1 and ranked No. 3 in the Prep Writers SC State Poll. South Pointe is No. 5. Tonight at 7:30, they continue their intense rivalry at District Three Stadium, which Northwestern and Rock Hill share.

The Stallions, who first played varsity football on 2005 and had their first meeting against the Trojans 2006, is tied 4-4 with Northwestern in eight games. Who will take a one-game lead tonight?

A look at the history between the two state powers, who played twice in 2008 and 2009.

The Stallions lost only one game (to the Spartanburg Vikings), but were the darlings of the state after making the Class AAA playoffs and beating undefeated Bluffton 42-27. Bluffton, which was averaging 53 points per game, scored most of its points in the final quarter. The star was DB/KR Corey Neely, who returned two first-half punts for touchdowns.

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