Northwestern TD with 25 seconds left beats Rock Hill, wins share of region
It had been about nine seasons since Rock Hill and Northwestern played a late season game that mattered. Nearly as many years had passed since the two played a game that wasn’t decided until the fourth quarter.
Both of those were checked off Friday night.
Rock Hill needed a win to seal its first region championship since 2009, while Northwestern needed to beat Rock Hill by at least seven points to win any region title tie-breaker that might emerge with the Bearcats and Nation Ford.
Rock Hill’s touchdown with 68 seconds left got Bubba Pittman’s team within three points and just a minute away from a championship. But Northwestern found its best player, Jamario Holley, streaking behind the defense for a 44-yard touchdown with 25 seconds to play. The TD gave Northwestern (6-4, 3-1 Region 4-5A) its eighth straight win over the Bearcats (4-6, 3-1), 31-21, and a share of the Region 4-5A title.
“We needed that, we went for that,” Northwestern coach James Martin said. “It was about home field advantage, not knowing what Nation Ford was doing, and we told our quarterback, ‘if he’s open, hit it. If he’s not, hit the dirt and we would just take the win.’ But Holley was open, (QB Dustin Noller) did his job and I’m proud of that.”
It had been a while since the two old rivals produced a classic. Friday’s game may not have reached that level, but the drama across the region kept it interesting.
Each team dominated a quarter in the first half and it was tied 14 all at the break. Northwestern QB Dustin Noller found Holley for an 8-yard TD and scored one himself with a 15-yard run, before Des Buchanan and Narii Gaither rushing TDs evened things up in the second quarter.
Turning point
Neither coach said their sidelines were aware of the Nation Ford-Fort Mill score. But it looked like Rock Hill had done enough to win the region after Gaither scored with little time remaining. Rock Hill’s short kickoff gave Northwestern the ball near midfield with less than a minute to play and the Trojans took advantage. Holley streaked past his man and Noller delivered a perfect throw for the touchdown.
“In a football game where you’ve got two pretty evenly matched teams, play here, play there,” Pittman said.
Critical
Northwestern withstood the rollercoaster Friday night, as it has much of an up-and-down season. TheTrojans’ fanbase has been spoiled for success in the last 10 years and the trials of this season made Friday’s rivalry win and region title even sweeter.
“It’s huge,” said Holley. “We’ve had different coaches and all this, so we had to win this to get home advantage in the playoffs. Real huge for us.”
“Going into it Rock Hill had all the momentum, they’ve won three straight, we lost last week and we knew it was gonna be a fight tonight,” said Martin. “We accepted the challenge the whole week, knew what we had to do and I’m glad that we got the job done.”
Star contributors
Holley entered the game as the best player on the field and further reenforced that reputation with a huge effort. He was kept in check in the first half with Rock Hill avoiding him in the kicking game successfully. But the junior, who finished with 166 yards and two touchdowns, ripped off several long plays in the second half, none bigger than the 44-yard touchdown to win his team the region.
“We’ve got to know where Holley is,” said Pittman. “He’s a heck of a football player, and he made a big play.”
Des Buchanan rushed for over 100 yards in seven of nine previous games and hit that mark again with 103 against the Trojans, but he was helped off the field by coaches and athletic trainers late in the third quarter with an ankle injury. Unsurprisingly, the Bearcats’ offense struggled from there.
Noller completed his first nine passes and though he made a few youthful mistakes, he played a solid game, throwing for 275 yards and two scores. The sophomore also ran for a pair of TDs.
Rock Hill defensive lineman Divine Porter had two sacks.
On deck
Northwestern and Rock Hill will both host home playoff games next week, the Trojans facing Laurens and the Bearcats facing Mauldin. Rock Hill athletic director Bill Warren said that the higher-seeded team gets to pick whether it plays on Thursday or Friday of next week.
The Bearcats, who finished second in the region, will host their first playoff game since 2009, a big step for Pittman’s program.
“It’s huge,” said Pittman. “New season for our kids. Everything they want is still out in front of them. We’re gonna play as long as they want to play.”
Box score
Northwestern 31, Rock Hill 21
Northwestern;14;0;3;14 - 31
Rock Hill;0;14;0;7 - 21
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
NHS - Jamario Holley 11 pass from Dustin Noller (kick blocked), 9:17
NHS - Noller 8 run (2-point pass to Jordan Starkes), 3:12
Second quarter
RHHS - Des Buchanan 3 run (Ryan Hearn kick), 1:41
RHHS - Narii Gaither 4 run (Hearn kick), 1:13
Third quarter
NHS - Thomas Gettys 36-yard field goal, 5:17
Fourth quarter
NHS - Noller 15 run (Gettys kick), 2:32
RHHS - Gaither 15 pass from McFadden (Hearn kick), 1:08
NHS - Holley 44 pass from Noller (Gettys kick), 0:25
TEAM STATISTICS
NHS;RHHS
First downs;16;21
Rushes-yards;17-91;45-195
Passing yards;275;188
Passing;29-36-2;19-31-2
Fumbles-lost;0-0;2-1
Penalties-yards;7-50;4-39
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING Northwestern: Jaylon Baird 6-14; Jamario Holley 3-48; Dustin Noller 7-25; Jordan Starkes 1-4. Rock Hill: Des Buchanan 16-103; Logan McFadden 10-57; Justain Patterson 1-(-6); Narii Gaither 16-46; Ne’Sylus Ford 2-(-5).
PASSING Northwestern: Noller 29-36-2, 275 yards. Rock Hill: McFadden 19-31-2, 188 yards.
RECEIVING Northwestern: Gregory Bivens 4-27; Holley 12-118; Starkes 8-117; Jamaar Moore 1-5; Baird 4-8. Rock Hill: Tay Anthony 5-38; Raphael Wright 4-52; Wan Crockett 3-37; Tavin Jackson 1-13; Gaither 1-15; Buchanan 2-4.
RECORDS Northwestern 6-4, 3-1 Region 4-5A; Rock Hill 4-6, 3-1
This story was originally published October 27, 2017 at 9:56 PM with the headline "Northwestern TD with 25 seconds left beats Rock Hill, wins share of region."