Nation Ford took on Dorman Friday night. Who advances to the next round of the playoffs?
The Dorman Cavaliers came out throwing offensive haymakers early and scored five times in the first 13 minutes of the game against Nation Ford as they won 58-12 and advanced to the third round of the 5A state playoffs.
Dorman (11-1) came into the game heavily favored and had a 10-1 record after rolling through the first round game against Greenwood, winning 52-0. Nation Ford (6-6) made it to the second round with a win over Blythewood 14-5.
The last time these two teams met in the playoffs, Nation Ford came out on the wrong end, falling two years ago 52-35 in the first round of the playoffs. That was a home game for the Falcons.
Dorman struck first, capping their opening series with a 63-yard drive.
The Falcons got good starting field position on its first series after a return from Quinton Jackson to around midfield. Nation Ford was forced to punt on their first drive. Punting became a habit for the Falcons in the game.
Nation Ford struggled early to stop the Dorman running game. Cavaliers running back Thomas Morgan was the go to back for Dorman as on the second drive he had a 38-yard run to cross midfield. Morgan moved the ball into the red zone several plays later and would ultimately score.
Nation Ford played better in the second half as Nathan Mahaffey scored in the fourth quarter and the Falcons also got an interception return for a touchdown.
Turning point
The Falcons fumbled the kickoff after Dorman’s second touchdown and the Cavaliers recovered the ball. From there, Dorman didn’t waste any time as Zack Hillstock scored from the five yard line just three plays later. The score put the Cavaliers up 21-0 with about three minutes left in the first quarter.
Critical
Nation Ford struggle to get their offense moving as the Dorman defense swarmed the Falcons with pressure. Their normal running game, which carried them most of the season, was about the only offense they had as they gained only 11 yards in the first quarter, 10 of that coming on the ground. Dorman exploded for 28 points and gained 250 yards offensively in the first quarter. Nation Ford didn’t pick up a first down in the first half. Dorman replaced most of their starters midway through the second quarter.
Star contributions
Nation Ford was led by Mahaffey, who rushed for 75 yards. For Dorman, Morgan rushed for 85 yards and Hillstock rushed for 47 yards. Cavaliers starting quarterback Matthew Powell passed for 172 yards before coming out in the second quarter.
On deck
Up next for Dorman is TL Hanna, who beat Northwestern, in round three. The upcoming game will be Nov. 23.
Box score
Dorman 58, Nation Ford 12
Nation Ford 0;0;6;6;-;12
Dorman 28;14;14;2;-58
Scoring Summary
First quarter
D - Chase Tinsley 2 run (Marco Flores kick), 9:22
D - Thomas Morgan 10 run (Flores kick), 4:11
D - Zack Hillstock 5 run (Flores kick), 2:58
D - Dillon Droze 53 pass from Matthew Powell (Flores kick), 2:26
Second quarter
D - Hillstock 6 run (Flores kick), 11:54
D - Kamal Desor 23 pass from Powell (Flores kick), 4:23
Third quarter
NF - Jacobie Henderson 42 interception return (kick blocked), 5:33
D - Rashad Durrah 49 run (Flores kick), 5:11
D - Kendall Norman 7 pass from Hayden Lee (Flores kick), 1:19
Fourth quarter
NF - Nathan Mahaffey 4 run (conversion failed), 4:29
D - Safety, 1:24
Team Statistics
NF; D
First downs 8;19
Rushes/yards 22-69;37-269
Passing 10-17-1;10-17-1
Passing yards 48;193
Fumbles/lost 3-2; 1-1
Penalties/yards 8-70;4-34
Individual Statistics
Rushing - Nation Ford: Nathan Mahaffey 15-75, Gabe Huitt 5-(-25), Harrison Cohen 1-17, Hunter Deyoung 1-2. Dorman: Thomas Morgan 8-85, Zack Hillstock 9-47, Chase Tinsley 3-28, Rashad Durrah 12-86, Hayden Lee 2-14, Matthew Powell 1-5, Zion Lindsay 2-4.
Passing - Nation Ford: Huitt 10-17-1 48. Dorman: Powell 8-12-0 172, Lee 2-5-1 21.
Receiving - Nation Ford: Quinton Jackson 2-3, Daeviaen Qwiy 2-(-1), Kaleb Starnes 2-15, Steven McFadden 2-14, Petey Tuipulotu 1-2, Mahaffey 1-14. Dorman: Kamal Desor 2-38, Jacoby Pinckney 4-65, Dillon Droze 1-53, Jermaine Jones 1-16, Tinsley 1-21.
Records: Nation Ford 6-6, Dorman 11-1.