Northwestern stops Greenwood in state playoffs. Top SC title contender advances to semifinal
The state semifinals now await the undefeated Northwestern football team.
It was another night in which the Trojans’ high-powered offense fired on all cylinders in a 35-6 pasting of Greenwood. The Rock Hill-area high school started fast on a brisk Friday evening at District 3 Stadium, with its defense making big stops as the team pulled away early.
Northwestern (12-0) advances to the semifinals of the South Carolina 5A Division II state tournament, where it will host Gaffney next Friday in the Upper State Championship game.
It was another strong passing day for senior quarterback Finley Polk, and the Trojans’ running game impressed once again. Sophomore running back Zymier Gordon-Miles raced into the end zone twice, bringing him to more than 1,000 rushing yards on the season.
“I’ll take a 35-6 win in the third round against a very, very much improved Greenwood team every day of the week,” Northwestern head coach Page Wofford said. “Defensively, a great job against a very good offense, and then we put some points on the board. Had a few hiccups, but we were still able to move the football when we wanted to, and special teams came up in big plays.
“Our defensive staff does a great job. Coach (Mario) Donato and those guys are clicking right now, and I hope they can click for two more weeks. We’ve guaranteed ourselves five more days together on the field.”
This season marks the Eagles’ (9-3) third straight that has ended at the hands of Northwestern.
How Northwestern defeated Greenwood
Greenwood received the ball first, but its momentum didn’t last long.
Northwestern sophomore Khalil Williamson forced a fumble on the Eagles’ first possession, and senior linebacker Will Massey scooped up the ball and hustled into the red zone. Polk connected with senior wide receiver Daniel Caldwell on a 6-yard touchdown pass over the middle, and Matthew Fish drilled the extra point to give his team an early 7-0 advantage.
Following an empty Greenwood possession and a 41-yard punt return by junior Jonathan Spurgeon, the Trojans took over near midfield. And it didn’t take long for them to find the end zone once again.
Polk heaved a 48-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Jayden Nichols. A penalty made it an easier two-point conversion, and Gordon-Miles punched it in to give Northwestern a 15-0 lead during the first quarter.
“(Gordon-Miles) gets better every day,” Wofford said. “Every week, he gets better just being in the system. His first year, he was a running back for us, last year he played free safety as a sophomore. But the offensive line does it too. (Greenwood has) a very good defensive front, and our offensive line did a good job preparing for it and really executing when we needed them there to run the football.”
Fish, the Trojans’ senior kicker who is considered among the best in the state, nailed an 18-yard field goal early in the second quarter. The Northwestern offense marched downfield on its ensuing possession — including a big reception by junior receiver Kameron Vance — then Polk dashed it in from the 1-yard line for a 25-0 lead.
Gordon-Miles tallied his second score of the night, sprinting for 37 yards to the house, early in the third quarter. Fish eventually tacked on a 36-yard field goal to extend the lead to 35-0, which the Trojans took late into the final period.
Notable
▪ This is the third straight season in which Northwestern has eliminated Greenwood. The Trojans previously defeated the Eagles by scores of 55-7 and 50-0, respectively, in playoff meetings in each of the past two seasons.
▪ While it continues to be one of the region’s most dominant teams, only one of Northwestern’s 12 victories this season has been a shutout. The Trojans kept the Eagles scoreless until the final 90 seconds of regulation on Friday.
▪ Sophomore quarterback Xavier Means, the Trojans’ strong dual-threat signal caller who is in line to start following Polk’s graduation, entered behind center during the fourth quarter of Friday’s blowout.
They said it
“(Means) is a real smart football player. He’s played a lot of ball for us, he’s coming through the system, and he’s playing very well. It didn’t surprise me to see him break free and run a little bit there. He’s a good quarterback, he’s a smart player — and I expect bigger things from him.” — Wofford on sophomore quarterback Xavier Means.
Up next
The Gaffney Indians earned a 21-7 win over T.L. Hanna on Friday night, sending them into the 5A Division II semifinal matchup against Northwestern on Dec. 6.
This story was originally published November 29, 2024 at 10:10 PM.
