Still unbeaten! Indian Land football rallies past Fort Mill, improves to 9-0
Indian Land football squeaked past one of its local foes Friday night to stay undefeated.
The Lancaster County high school held off a late push from Fort Mill in a 20-16 victory at Bob Jones Stadium.
The Warriors (9-0, 5-0 Region 3 5A) look to remain unbeaten as they finish their regular season against Northwestern, which has lost just one game over the past two seasons.
“We knew it was going to be a battle,” Indian Land head coach Adam Hastings said. “Every team in this region is really good, and I'm just really proud of the resilience. We had two plays that were just uncharacteristic of us offensively and resulted in 14 points. I thought our guys did a good job in the second half of coming out and not letting that bother them.”
The Warriors entered the fourth quarter trailing.
Sophomore quarterback Matt Kucia tossed a touchdown pass and led the Warriors past the Yellow Jackets’ stingy defense.
This clash of upstate South Carolina rivals was close until its final stages. Senior edge rusher Michael Foster came up with a huge sack during the final seconds to stop Fort Mill’s final chance.
How Indian Land won its ninth consecutive game
Kucia connected with sophomore receiver Kenneth Wilson for a 73-yard touchdown on Indian Land’s second play from scrimmage following an opening empty possession from Fort Mill (4-5, 0-5), whose defense was consistent early.
And it put points on the board twice.
Yellow Jackets junior lineman Brandon Goyak recovered a forced fumble in the Warriors’ end zone. Fort Mill got on the board, but the extra point was blocked to make it 7-6.
Indian Land marched downfield with ease on its ensuing possession, and Kucia lofted a 26-yard touchdown pass to standout junior Sequel Patterson.
Fort Mill struck right back. Junior kicker Noah Hardy blasted a 43-yard field goal, and the Yellow Jackets’ strong defense continued.
Indian Land’s second fumble of the period was scooped up by Fort Mill senior lineman Josiah McGill, who hustled for a 48-yard defensive score. The Yellow Jackets took a 16-14 advantage into halftime, and neither side scored in the third quarter.
Fort Mill’s defense was tough, even forcing a turnover on downs. But the Warriors won the possession battle and finally returned to the red zone early in the fourth.
Senior running back Jamol Horton dashed home for a 22-yard rush, his 12th touchdown of the season, and a failed 2-point conversion attempt kept the score 20-16. Fort Mill began moving back downfield, but a turnover on downs gave the ball back Indian Land.
The Yellow Jackets had a shot within the last four minutes left in regulation, pinned back inside their own 5-yard line. Their offense moved the football quickly.
A pass interference penalty gave Fort Mill the ball at Indian Land’s 39-yard line. QB Quinn Kelly took a sack with just over a minute remaining before stepping up and throwing for another first down.
Foster brought down Kelly for the game-clinching sack with 24.3 seconds left and the Yellow Jackets facing fourth-and-19.
Notable
• The Warriors continue their recent dominance against their regional foe, which includes a 20-6 win in 2024 and a 34-0 shutout in 2022.
• Fort Mill senior QB Quinn Kelly, who has thrown for multiple touchdowns in recent close losses, eclipses 1,500 passing yards on season and his 13 touchdowns.
• Foster, the East Carolina commit, anchored Indian Land’s front line against Fort Mill’s powerful run game, which extended possessions but continually fell short of scoring opportunities.
They said it
“(Foster) is just an ultimate competitor,” Hastings said. “The way he practices is the way he plays. He kills us in practice and gets after it, and that translates into the game. He does a great job, and the other guys up front just do such a fantastic job of allowing him to draw one-on-ones and get free. And man, just so proud of him and all those guys at the very end. “When you’ve got to make a play, when you’ve got to have a play, you’ve got to have your playmaker step up and up. And he did that.”
Up next
Indian Land closes its regular season at 7:30 p.m. Friday against Northwestern at District 3 Stadium in Rock Hill.
Fort Mill returns home for its regular-season finale against Nation Ford at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Scoring summary
FIRST QUARTER
IL: Kucia 73-yard touchdown pass to Wilson, PAT (7-0, Indian Land)
SECOND QUARTER
FM: Goyan defensive touchdown (7-6, Indian Land)
IL: Kucia 26-yard touchdown to Patterson (14-6, Indian Land)
FM: Hardy 43-yard field goal (14-9, Indian Land)
FM: McGill 48-yard defensive touchdown (16-14, Fort Mill)
FOURTH QUARTER
IL: Horton 22-yard touchdown (20-16, Indian Land)
This story was originally published October 24, 2025 at 11:26 PM.
