Jalin Hyatt, South Carolina defense propel team to first Shrine Bowl win since 2014
After shaking hands with the North Carolina team and entertaining a few postgame interviews, South Carolina Sandlapper head coach Dean Boyd started sprinting toward his team.
“Hey hey!” Boyd said mid-stride. His all-star team, comprised of some of the best high school senior football players in the state, had just brought the first Shrine Bowl victory since 2014 to South Carolina — and his players were celebrating like it.
“Our kids have been hearing about it all week,” Boyd said after South Carolina’s 28-17 win over the North Carolina Tarheels in Gibbs Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C., on Saturday. “We came out in the first half and really stunk it up. We had a lot of turnovers and mental mistakes. We came back in the second half and showed a lot of heart, even after we took the lead.”
Starting offensive lineman and South Carolina’s Lineman of the Year from York Comprehensive High School, Will Boggs, said that the Shrine Bowl, although an offseason contest, is a rivalry game.
“It just felt really good to be able to bring it back to South Carolina,” Boggs said. “They’ve always been considered bigger and stronger than us. And they have more schools in North Carolina…
“I feel like in us winning, it’s helped us bring that rivalry back.”
Like every year, these players knew that they’d made the prestigious rosters back in September, but team practice didn’t begin until the beginning of this past week.
As a result of the quick turnaround, both teams needed time to knock off a bit of rust: The Sandlappers threw two interceptions; the Tarheels lost a fumble; and five quarterbacks, between the two teams, saw action — all in the game’s opening quarter.
Then, though, Jalin Hyatt came alive. The 5A state champion from Dutch Fork High School and Tennessee signee scored the game’s opening touchdown — a 23-yard pass from Mikele Colasurdo. 7-0, South Carolina.
North Carolina soon took the lead and entered the half up, 10-7, after an intentional grounding penalty-turned-safety and a punt blocked by North Carolina’s Shane Whitter and returned by North Carolina’s Ja’Qurious Conley for a touchdown (and a successful two-point conversion).
But in the second half, South Carolina slowly started to assert its control on the game, using its most dangerous weapon. On the Sandlapper’s third drive of the third quarter, quarterback Mason Garcia threw a quick screen to Hyatt, which he took 72 yards for a touchdown. 14-10, South Carolina.
By the end of the third, Tennessee commit Hyatt had 197 receiving yards and two touchdowns — accounting for all of his team’s points and nearly all of its yards (197 of 259).
“I mean, what else can you say about him?” Boyd said of Hyatt. “He made some big-time plays for us today.”
After a North Carolina passing connection between quarterback Javondre’ Paige and receiver Ray Rose on a 28-yard skinny post for a touchdown, North Carolina took a 17-14 lead. It was the last lead the team would have.
In the fourth quarter, quarterback Garcia capped off a five-play, 39-yard drive after rushing in a one-yard touchdown. Sandlappers took the lead, 21-17.
And then with the game clock trickling down, the Sandlappers handed it off several times to running back Rahjai Harris, who finished the game with 14 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown. His one touchdown came on South Carolina’s last meaningful drive to make it 28-17.
North Carolina’s final drive was foiled by a Buddy Mack interception.
Lewisville everything-player and first Shrine Bowl player since 2012 Demetric Hardin said that Saturday’s win was special.
“It motivated everybody on the team to go hard and get the ‘W’ today,” Hardin said.
When asked why, specifically, this win and this game was special, Hardin didn’t need a second thought: “(It) put S.C. back on top.”
This story was originally published December 21, 2019 at 1:42 PM.
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