South Pointe sends a message in 2018 football opener against rival Northwestern
“South Pointe football will never win five state titles in a row,” they said.
“They lost too much talent,” they said.
“They’ll come back to Earth,” they said.
Well, maybe some of that will still be proven true by December, 2018.
But the Stallions confirmed the worst fears of many across the state on Friday night, that they’re still pretty, pretty good at football. Seniors Marice Whitlock and Joe Ervin combined for five touchdowns and South Pointe smashed crosstown rival Northwestern, 49-14, in the season opener Friday night.
“They were unbelievable, and that’s what we’ve got to have out of them,” Stallions coach Strait Herron said about Ervin and Whitlock. “And our OL did a great job opening gaps for them.”
South Pointe (1-0) graduated 27 seniors from last year’s 15-0 state championship team. But the Stallions still have Ervin and Whitlock, who looked faster and more powerful than they were last year as the team’s starting running back duo. Whitlock carried the ball some, but has moved to slot receiver and showed the transition has been peachy, catching a 71-yard touchdown in the first half.
Ervin and Whitlock combined for 384 total yards of offense in the first half, when South Pointe buried the Trojans and all but wrapped up a third straight win in the series.
“We just made mistakes,” said Trojans coach James Martin. “Say no more. You make mistakes and you get hurt. That will catch up to you in a ball game.”
The only thing that slowed down South Pointe: yellow handkerchiefs flying out of referee’s pockets. Strait Herron’s team finished with 12 penalties for 80 yards, but showed enough quality otherwise to suggest a fifth title isn’t beyond their reach.
Turning point
Midway through the second quarter, South Pointe stretched its lead to 21-0 on Whitlock’ second touchdown, a 71-yard dart from QB Tahleek Steele that hit the receiver in stride. He flew away from tacklers like a spirit in the dark. Northwestern (0-1) needed a response and produced one. Jamario Holley caught an 11-yard pass and Ghari Paige and Antonio Heath moved the Trojans inside the South Pointe 20. Heath rumbled into the end zone from 15 yards out.
But Northwestern’s briefly held momentum evaporated on the next play. Whitlock corralled the kickoff, ran up the field, then skirted left and down the sideline. He tripped the afterburners, skipped through a final tackle at the 10 and made it 28-7 with less than 5 minutes remaining in the half.
“He is the most unselfish player on our team,” said Herron, “and one of the most unselfish players I’ve ever coached.”
Critical
Two big wins for South Pointe up front, on both sides of the ball. Ervin and Whitlock didn’t require much room to make the Trojans hurt, but they got more than they needed. The Stallion OL caved in Northwestern’s defensive line on Ervin’s 54-yard touchdown, on his first carry of the season.
And the defensive line haunted Northwestern QB Dustin Noller the entire night. He spent much of the game scrambling around and blanketing downfield coverage prevented him from improvising big gains or first downs.
Star contributors
Ervin, who finished with 160 yards rushing, and Whitlock were exceptional.
“Man, it takes a load off our hands,” said South Pointe defensive lineman Rontarius Aldridge. “Once them guys get going, it honestly gives us a break.”
Likewise for the defensive front, led by Aldridge, Adam Foxx and Dorian Manning. Aldridge had at least one sack and intercepted a pass late. Kobe Shannon had a solid game in South Pointe’s secondary, though he’ll be kicking himself for dropping two surefire interceptions in the first half. And Quay Chambers took over for Ervin, who left with cramps, and ran the ball well late in the game, scoring a 5-yard touchdown.
Running back Antonio Heath showed flashes of power and burst for the Trojans, scoring on 15 and 45-yard touchdowns. Northwestern defensive backs D’Arthur Ratchford and KeyShard McCroey intercepted passes.
On deck
South Pointe faces Rock Hill in a second straight city rivalry game Aug. 24 at District Three Stadium. Northwestern heads to Byrnes to face the Rebels at Nixon Field.
Box score
Northwestern;0;7;7;0; - 14
South Pointe;7;28;7;7; - 49
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
SPHS -- Joe Ervin 54 run (Wyatt Grantham kick), 10:33
Second quarter
SPHS -- Marice Whitlock 11 run (Grantham kick), 11:50
SPHS -- Whitlock 71 pass from Tahleek Steele (Grantham kick), 6:46
NHS -- Antonio Heath 15 run (Nick Acus kick), 5:10
SPHS -- Whitlock 90 kickoff return (Grantham kick), 4:55
SPHS -- Ervin 7 run (Grantham kick), 1:32
Third quarter
NHS -- Heath 45 run (Acus kick), 3:53
SPHS -- Isaac Ross 13 pass from Steele (Grantham kick), 0:44
Fourth quarter
SPHS -- Quay Chambers 5 run (Grantham kick), 8:02
TEAM STATISTICS
SPHS;NHS
First downs;19;10
Rushes-yards;36-274;28-91
Passing;11-21-2;11-29-1
Passing yards;130;71
Fumbles-lost;3-1;0-0
Penalties-yards;12-80;6-50
INDIVIDUAL STATS
RUSHING South Pointe: Joe Ervin 14-160; Marice Whitlock 6-19; Steele 2-20; Omega Blake 2-9; Quay Chambers 12-66. Northwestern: Antonio Heath 14-109; Ghari Paige 3-18; Dustin Noller 8-(-26); Jamario Holley 2-(-13); Jamaar Moore 1-3.
PASSING South Pointe: Steele 11-20-2, 130 yards; Blake 0-1-0. Northwestern: Noller 11-29-1.
RECEIVING South Pointe: Isaac Ross 3-13; Raseac Myles 2-18; Ty Good 2-4; Ervin 1-17; Whitlock 3-78; MORE. Northwestern: Jamario Holley 5-44; Gregory Bivens Jr. 1-(-1); Moore 4-20; Carson DePass 1-8.
RECORDS South Pointe 1-0; Northwestern 0-1.
This story was originally published August 17, 2018 at 10:16 PM.