South Pointe RB Pickett-Hicks rushes for 485 yards in win; Lewisville also moves on
South Pointe High running back Mason Pickett-Hicks might have run into the South Carolina record book Friday night, and he carried his teammates along into the Upper State regional final next week.
Pickett-Hicks, an S.C. State commit, rushed for an unofficial total of 485 yards and six touchdowns as South Pointe outlasted Daniel 49-35 in a Class 4A state playoff quarterfinal victory.
According to MaxPreps, the single-game rushing record in South Carolina was 462 yards, set in 2013 by J.T. Waters of Palmetto Christian School. Waters later played at Newberry.
The top rushing performance nationally this year was 593 yards by Adam Nunes of Buffalo (N.Y.) South Park.
The victory sends the Stallions (11-2) to Anderson next Friday for a game with defending 4A state champion Westside (12-0). The Upper State regional championship, and a berth in the state title game, will be on the line.
Pickett-Hicks scored on runs of 1, 84, 65, 54, 74 and 34 yards, and he totaled those 485 yards on 34 carries.
The Stallions needed his big night, though, as Daniel (11-2) stayed close until the final minutes of the game.
South Pointe led 35-21 and 42-28 in the second half, but Daniel answered each time.
Pickett-Hicks’ 54-yard touchdown run with 9:03 left in the game gave the Stallions a 35-21 lead. But Daniel battled back, closing the gap to 35-28 on a 15-yard pass from Grayson Clary to Jason Bish.
On the first play of South Pointe’s next possession, Pickett-Hicks raced 74 yards for a touchdown and a 42-28 lead.
Once again, Daniel battled back, with Clary throwing a 4-yard scoring pass to Elijah Lindsey with 2:30 to play.
South Pointe planned to run out the clock, but Pickett-Hicks broke open again on a 34-yard touchdown run with 1:13 left.
It was Daniel’s first home playoff loss in five years.
Lewisville moves on
Lewisville broke open a close game in the third quarter and rolled over Hunter-Kinard-Tyler 31-6 in a 1A playoff quarterfinal. The Lions (12-1) will travel to perennial state power Abbeville (11-1) for the Upper State regional championship next Friday.
Lewisville scored the only points of the first half on Marcel Fee’s 24-yard field goal midway through the first quarter.
Hunter-Kinard-Tyler (11-2) advanced to the Lewisville 31 early in the second quarter and got to the Lions’ 27 later in the period, but Lewisville came up with stops both times.
A fumble recovery early in the third quarter gave Lewisville good field position, and the Lions scored on a 24-yard run by Jordan Strong with 10 minutes left.
Hunter-Kinard-Tyler cut the deficit to 10-6 midway through the quarter on a short run, but the Lions scored on their next possession, with quarterback Zach Rogers breaking free on an 81-yard run for a 17-6 margin.
Strong scored on a 14-yard run with 6:53 left in the game, capping a drive that included a 29-yard run by Rogers and a 34-yard scamper by Strong.
And Lewisville got its final score on a 31-yard fumble recovery and return by Eden Gaston in the game’s closing seconds.
Playoff scores, schedule
CLASS 5A / DIVISION 1
Friday’s quarterfinals
Upper State
Dutch Fork 52, River Bluff 14
Spartanburg 35, J.L. Mann 9
Lower State
Summerville 49, Ridge View 20
Sumter 34, James Island 17
Next Friday’s regional finals
Upper State
Spartanburg (9-2) at Dutch Fork (11-0)
Lower State
Sumter (12-0) at Summerville (12-0)
CLASS 5A / DIVISION 2
Friday’s quarterfinals
Upper State
Gaffney 21, T.L. Hanna 7
Northwestern 35, Greenwood 6
Lower State
Irmo 56, West Florence 7
White Knoll 23, Berkeley 3
Next Friday’s regional finals
Upper State
Gaffney (10-1) at Northwestern (12-0)
Lower State
White Knoll (8-5) at Irmo (11-1)
CLASS 4A
Friday’s quarterfinals
Upper State
South Pointe 49, Daniel 35
Westside 49, Camden 7
Lower State
North Augusta 63, Gilbert 14
South Florence 49, Hartsville 21
Next Friday’s regional finals
Upper State
South Pointe (11-2) at Westside (12-0)
Lower State
South Florence (10-3) at North Augusta (12-1)
CLASS 3A
Friday’s quarterfinals
Upper State
Belton-Honea Path 35, Powdersville 14
Mountain View Prep 30, Crescent 14
Lower State
Loris 30, Keenan 14
Oceanside Collegiate 28, Dillon 21
Next Friday’s regional finals
Upper State
Belton-Honea Path (12-1) at Mountain View Prep (12-0)
Lower State
Oceanside Collegiate (9-3) at Loris (11-1)
CLASS 2A
Friday’s quarterfinals
Upper State
Clinton 31, Batesburg-Leesville 14
Fairfield Central 48, Pageland Central 28
Lower State
Barnwell 28, Cheraw 27
Manning 34, Philip Simmons 21
Next Friday’s regional finals
Upper State
Fairfield Central (12-1) at Clinton (10-2)
Lower State
Manning (11-1) at Barnwell (12-1)
CLASS 1A
Friday’s quarterfinals
Upper State
Abbeville 48, Lamar 38
Lewisville 31, Hunter-Kinard-Tyler 6
Lower State
Cross 12, Hannah-Pamplico 7
Lake View 42, Bamberg-Ehrhardt 32
Next Friday’s regional finals
Upper State
Lewisville (12-1) at Abbeville (11-1)
Lower State
Lake View (11-1) at Cross (10-2)
This story was originally published November 29, 2024 at 5:30 AM.