South Pointe powers past Gaffney in SC clash of the titans

The Saturday night lights shone brightly over District 3 Stadium to finish off the first week of the 2022 football season. Not even a delayed start could dim the enthusiasm of a near-capacity crowd in attendance to watch two schools with a combined 25 state titles face off — including one for each team last season in Class 4A and 5A.

Most of the enthusiasm quickly shifted to the home side of the stadium.

South Pointe forced five punts on six first-half possessions by Gaffney, then flexed its offensive muscle early and often. D.J. Barksdale scored three times in the opening 24 minutes, helping the Stallions secure a decisive 47-26 victory over the Indians.

“We got a great effort by our defense in the first half,” South Pointe coach Bobby Collins said after the game. “I thought our defense played well. They go so hard every day in practice. I expected them to come out here and play this big in the game.”

South Pointe jumped ahead on its second possession. The Stallions went 72 yards in eight plays — six rushing — and cashed in the drive on a two-yard run from Barksdale to take a 7-0 lead. The Stallions then cashed in a nine-play, 62-yard drive on another short run from Barksdale to claim a 14-0 advantage.

The Stallions then made it three scores in three possessions. Jacob Brookover drilled a 39-yard field goal try with plenty of room to spare, extending the Stallions’ margin to 17-0 midway through the second quarter.

Gaffney’s fifth punt in its first five possessions paid quick dividends for South Pointe. Barksdale snagged the punt, then wound his way 60 yards through traffic to claim his third score of the half and put the Stallions ahead 23-0.

Gaffney’s final first-half drive was its longest and most effective. The Indians drove 80 yards on 10 plays, capitalizing on three Stallion personal fouls in the process. Jaiden McDowell scored from four yards out to punctuate the charge, drawing the Indians within a 23-6 score that held at the halftime break.

South Pointe continued its dominance into the third quarter, scoring on both of its possessions in the period. The Stallions needed just five plays to march 73 yards. Malachi Marshall hit Jay Sanders with a 45-yard dime, with Sanders keeping his feet to find the end zone. Brookover then connected for a 29-yard field goal midway through the quarter to extend the Stallion advantage to 33-6.

The home side then started a drive late in the frame that extended into the final quarter. A 32-yard toss from Marshall to a diving Jordan Curbeam finished the eight-play drive and put the Stallions ahead 40-6. Gaffney responded nearly immediately, taking just one play to go 59 yards on a deep toss from Grayson Loftis to Devon Porter-Gist to cut the South Pointe lead to 40-13.

The Indians added six more on the ensuing drive. Loftis evaded heavy pressure and found Jamarcus Smith in traffic from seven yards away, cutting the South Pointe margin to 21 at 40-19 with 6:45 remaining. Things got more uncomfortable for the Stallions on the ensuing drive, as Tre Smith grabbed a deflected pass in mid-air and went 49 yards to reduce the Stallion lead to 40-26 with 5:47 remaining.

South Pointe answered on its final drive, using a big third-down pass from Marshall to Khy’re Rawlinson to cover 60 yards. Caleb Sims then punched it in from two yards away to extend the lead back to 21 with under four minutes remaining.

Barksdale tallied just three yards of offense but scored three times on a pair of short runs and the long punt return. Stallion running back Caleb Sims comfortably eclipsed the 100-yard mark, collecting 16 carries. Marshall finished with greater than 300 yards through the air, tallying a pair of scores.

“I can’t say enough about D.J. Barksdale, man,” Collins said. “He had the punt return — just the things he does for us on the field is impressive.

“I don’t think anybody can beat South Pointe but South Pointe. We just have to do what we did today every Friday night.”

South Pointe returns to the District 3 turf on Friday night to do battle with cross-town rival Rock Hill. The Stallions and Bearcats are set for a 7:30 kickoff.