Fort Mill holds on to pick up 1st win of football season
The opening game of the 2015 football season for the Fort Mill Yellow Jackets was an intense, though sometimes sloppy 33-28 win against White Knoll.
For the second straight year, Fort Mill opened the season as part of the Battle at the Bluff, which is several football games during a long weekend at River Bluff High School.
“You could tell it was the first game,” Fort Mill head coach Ed Susi said. “We have a lot of things to correct. Hopefully, this will give us some confidence.”
Fort Mill had a well balanced attack, passing for 216 yards and running for 209. Senior quarterback Rogan Wells found a new gear in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter as the Jackets scored 19 points.
Wells led the Jackets offense from under center as he used two main receivers – juniors Ronnie Hughes and Gus Jarosz. Hughes also had a big game from carrying the ball.
TURNING POINTS
As White Knoll faced a fourth and 13, the Jackets were flagged for unsportsmanlike play. The Timberwolves took advantage of it, picking up three first downs and a 37-yard touchdown run by Gary Shell that tied the game and shifted the momentum to White Knoll.
After Fort Mill regained the lead, the Timberwolves drove to the Fort Mill 17-yard line with eight seconds remaining but two passes into the end zone were incomplete.
CRITICAL
Wells hit Jarosz for a 24-yard gain on the Jackets’ final drive with less than 90 seconds in the game, which gave Fort Mill a first down inside the 10-yard line. The Jackets scored to take the lead with about 55 seconds left in the game.
STAR CONTIRBUTIONS
Hughes caught eight passes for 88 yards and rushed for 100 yards on eight carries to lead Fort Mill’s offense. Wells passed for 216 yards on 15-26 passing and also rushed for 43 yards.
For White Knoll, Shell rushed for 90 yards on 17 carries.
OVERHEAD
“We know what he can do,” Susi said of Hughes. “He made some great plays.”
ONE DECK
The Jackets stay on the road for game No. 2 as the team travels back down I-77 to Lugoff-Elgin.
Mac Banks: mbanks@comporium.net, @MacBanksFM
How they scored
Fort Mill 33, White Knoll 28
White Knoll 0;7;14;7- 28
Fort Mill 7;7;0;19- 33
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
FM-Brett Ferguson one-yard run (Taylor Sheets kick), 7:16
Second quarter
FM-Ronnie Hughes six-yard run (Sheets kick), 9:13
WK-Gary Shell three-yard run (Daniel Fulmer kick), 5:05
Third quarter
WK-Shell 37-yard run (Fulmer kick), 8:10
WK-Maurice Jones seven-yard run (Fulmer kick), 3:59
Fourth quarter
FM-Rogan Wells one-yard run (Sheets kick), 9:01
FM-Wells 21-yard pass to Hughes (kick blocked), 4:25
WK-Parker McInnis 77-yard pass to Thomas Scott (Fulmer kick), 3:53
FM-Ferguson three-yard run (kick blocked), 0:55
TEAM STATISTICS
WK;FM
First downs;20;24
Rushes-yards;34-215;39-209
Passing;10-20-0;15-26-0
Passing yards; 215;216
Fumbles-lost;1-0;2-1
Penalties-yards;9-73;7-57
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING White Knoll: Gary Shell 17-90, Calev Grubbs 15-77, Maurice Jones 12-48. Fort Mill: Ronnie Hughes 8-100, Rogan Wells 11-43, Brett Ferguson 11-43, Antonio Shepherd 1-13, Noah Wetzel 3-9, Gus Jarosz 5-1.
PASSING White Knoll: Grubbs 9-19-0 138, Parker McInnis 1-1 77. Fort Mill: Wells 15-26-0 216.
RECEIVING White Knoll: Thomas Scott 3-138, Jones 4-41, Braydon Clariday 2-14, Sam Hayes 1-20. Fort Mill: Hughes 8-88, Jarosz 4-42, Ethan Piercy 2-48, Hunter Helms 1-40.
RECORDS White Knoll 0-1; Fort Mill 1-0.
This story was originally published August 21, 2015 at 11:35 AM with the headline "Fort Mill holds on to pick up 1st win of football season."