The Herald's 10-best 2017 HS football games: Nation Ford at Fort Mill
Important to savor this rivalry in its current form because the dynamics in Fort Mill will change when new school Catawba Ridge enters the fray in 2019, that is if it can ever settle on a nickname.
Fort Mill hosts Nation Ford on Oct. 27 in a game that tends to have decisive playoff implications for both teams but almost certainly will have tons of pink dust pluming into the air above Bob Jones Stadium as both sets of fans usually honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Few rivalries in The Herald’s coverage area have the sizzle that Fort Mill-Nation Ford - the Milltown Showdown - possesses at the moment. The fanbases, mostly the students, don’t really like each other. And the games have generally delivered enough fireworks to keep things interesting. This fall should be no different.
Fort Mill
Fort Mill has always had a rollercoaster football history and last season was no exception. After consecutive non-losing seasons, the Jackets dropped to 3-7 and missed the playoffs. The last time Fort Mill had three consecutive .500-or better seasons was 1990 to 1993.
The Yellow Jackets had close to 30 football seniors walk across the graduation stage in May so Ed Susi’s program will be looking for some leaders and play-makers to emerge.
QB is a big concern for the Yellow Jackets - like most teams in the area - but they return a break-out candidate in Ryan Heriot. He emerged in the second half of 2016 as a capable ball-carrier after already showing he could be a force as a ball-hawk safety on defense. Heriot had 80 yards and two TDs against Nation Ford, but Susi and Co. will be banking on an even bigger game from the stallion-like senior in 2017.
Check out highlights from last year’s thrilling Nation Ford-Fort Mill contest:
Nation Ford
Eleven seconds. That’s how long the Falcons held the lead in last year’s game and they still pulled out a 43-36 win thanks to a late Dewuan McCullum touchdown scamper up the middle. McCullum scored with his legs but it’ll be his hands that Nation Ford needs more often this fall after top-two receiving targets Alex Stennett and Halen Burgess moved on to college.
The Dirty Birds are also looking for a new QB, but their defense should be a strength with nine returning starters. Those include seniors Ben Tuipulotu and Vinny Catan, part of a group that’s getting increasingly used to beating Fort Mill. To do it again, Michael Allen’s team may have to rely on its stoppers to slow down the Yellow Jackets’ head-spinning misdirection offensive scheme, while the Falcons’ offense catches up.
The series
Is the tide turning in this one? You bet. The Falcons have won three of the last four games after Fort Mill owned the first six.
This rivalry pits two of the better-coordinated student sections around against each other, which makes for a vibrant visual spectacle. The football usually holds up its end too, with the matchup averaging 58.6 combined points per game since its inception in 2007, and 81 combined points in the last four meetings.
Showdown Countdown so far
Editor’s note: The Herald is counting down to the 2017 high school football season by revealing the 10 most interesting games in York, Chester and Lancaster counties this coming fall. Games will be organized by date and revealed in Monday, Wednesday and Friday newspapers.
This story was originally published July 25, 2017 at 11:10 AM with the headline "The Herald's 10-best 2017 HS football games: Nation Ford at Fort Mill."