Experienced O-line a driving force for Stallions

By Barry Byers - bbyers@heraldonline.com

South Pointe running backs Quinten Darby and Ce-Ce Jones hit the nail on the head last week when they discussed the Stallions running game.

“We couldn't shine without our offensive linemen,” Darby said. “They had a rough start to the season, but they get better every game, and right now they are playing their best football at the right time.”

That's just what the Stallions need, their best football, at 7:30 p.m. Friday when they face the Northwestern Trojans at District Three Stadium in the Class AAAA Division II semifinals. The winner earns a berth to the state championship game on Dec. 4 against either Berkeley or Goose Creek.

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For Northwestern, it's a chance to avenge this year's regular-season loss to the Stallions and last year's loss to them in the state championship game. For South Pointe, it's an opportunity to move a step closer to defending the state title they won last year and to show they are more than a one-hit wonder.

South Pointe graduated a ton of players from last year's 15-0 team, including one of its best-ever linemen in center Sam Mallard. But the unit that returned the most experience was the offensive line, with seniors Alex Moore, Jacob McQueen, Clay Ridge and junior Chris Meyer.

The others who play there are Jay Brown, Allen Johnson, Darius Bright, De'Harion Mobley and tight end Kendall Childers, the younger brother of USC wide receiver Tori Gurley.

The four returnees are quite a diverse group, each with a different personality but with the same goals — including making it back to the state championship game.

If and when Alex Moore would join the team was in question before tha season. Moore sliced open his leg with a chainsaw during a church mission trip to Canada over the summer. The first thing he asked the doctor was if he would be able to play football again.

Moore not only played, he attacked rehab so aggressively that he was ready to go by the opening game. He's known as “So-Cal” to his teammates. Junior varsity player Lance Roberts told him several years ago that he looked like a Southern California-type lineman and the nickname stuck.

“We had some setbacks early, but we are playing our best football right now,” said Moore, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 310 pounds. “What makes me mad is there are people out there that said we lost all of our players last year and couldn't do it again. We haven't yet, but I'm sure we've proved those people were wrong.

“I like playing on the OL, particularly in pass-blocking situations. Defensive players see me and think I'm going to be slow because of my size. I'm not and that's because our coaches get us in shape and work with us on our footwork.”

McQueen, 6-5, 260, was out of school on Monday with an illness. He should be back and ready to go by Friday. He's a versatile player and can line up at any position across the front. McQueen is an early commitment to Gardner-Webb and gets his size honestly. His dad, Dan, is 6-7 and is a former Northwestern and Winthrop basketball player.

His teammates call him “Big Country,” because he “drives a pickup, listens to country music, eats sunflower seeds and likes to hunt and fish,” Moore said. “He's also big.”

Meyer, 6-2, 310, is called “Mankind.” With his size and his dark curly hair and beard, the other players gave him that nickname because he resembles a pro wrestler with that name.

He's a text-message freak, never too far away from his phone or a computer. But at practice and on Friday nights, he's all business.

“My favorite thing is lighting a defender up and watching one of runners go through the hole I made,” Meyer said. “People counted us out and said we were a one-man team last year because of Stephon (Gilmore). That's not so, and we have a lot of good players back this season.

“We have three good running backs; Quinten, Ce-Ce and Ralph (Raphael Ratliff). We had Jadeveon Clowney, one of the best around, back on defense. And Corey Rawls has come on strong as our new quarterback. We feel good about our team.”

Ridge, 6-2, 220, is the smallest Stallions lineman, but he likes it that way. Ridge, known as “Cliff” — you know, a ridge can be called a cliff — said he uses his size to his advantage.

“Being small, I have to use my speed to make up for not being bigger.” He said. “When you are my size and play on the line, you have to go harder every play to prove yourself, and that's what motivates me. And because of my speed, my strength is when we call a play that requires me to pull-block.”

Those four have been the foundation this season and their performance Friday night is vital to the Stallions getting past Northwestern and heading to Columbia for the state championship game. As Moore said, they have jumped some hurdles this season, but the finish line is in sight.

“When we were playing badly, some people got on us and others gave us encouragement,” he said. “But all of that is behind us now and we are ready to take it to the next step like we did last year.”

Class AAAA Division II semifinals

Who: South Pointe vs. Northwestern

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Where: District Three Stadium

Records: South Pointe 10-3, Northwestern 8-5

Tickets: On sale today in both schools' athletic offices, $6 each; any left will be sold at the gate on Friday

Passes: Only those issued by the South Carolina High School League will be accepted