3rd & 30: Plagued by two 4th-quarter fumbles, Rock Hill football falls to Spring Valley
The last fumble on the Rock Hill football team’s final drive on Friday night wasn’t recovered by Spring Valley, but it pretty much sealed the Columbia-based team’s season opening win.
With less than two minutes in the game — with the Bearcats down 17-12, seven yards away from a go-ahead touchdown — a Rock Hill fumble and recovery resulted in a 23-yard loss.
3rd and 30.
Two freshman quarterback Matthew Wilson scrambles later, and that was it: Rock Hill head coach Bubba Pittman tossed his headset into the air and slouched in defeat, and region foe Spring Valley emerged with a season-opening win in Rock Hill’s District Three Stadium.
“I think it’s just a sign of a young football team,” Pittman said postgame, a mask covering his face.
That fumble wasn’t the only fourth-quarter miscue that changed the game.
With just over six minutes remaining, Spring Valley recovered a fumble 15 yards away from its goal line. The next play? Spring Valley quarterback DeQuandre Smith found Jalen Crumpton on a crossing route for a 15-yard touchdown pass — giving the visiting team a 17-12 lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
“I think we’re young in a lot of spots,” Pittman said. “We’ve got some senior leadership. I mean, you look up front at our D-line, I think those guys understand it’s, ‘Play the next play; play the next play.’ They’ve been through the fire.
“There’s a lot of other places where those guys are out there for the first time.”
Notable: Rock Hill defense keeps team in game
Although the last five minutes of the contest was eventful, District Three Stadium largely saw a defensive battle on Friday night.
Rock Hill’s only offensively-generated points came on its first drive — one propelled by a 25 yard toss from Wilson to senior tight end Robbie Ouzts and punctuated by an Anthony Arnette rushing touchdown. The team’s other scores came in the form of (1) a safety after a high snap on a Spring Valley punt bounced out the back of the endzone and (2) a chip shot field goal from kicker Ethan Dutton late in the third quarter.
The rest of the game hinged on the Bearcat defense, and the unit kept its team in it: It allowed one second quarter touchdown after a long Spring Valley drive — but its other two scores came after Rock Hill turnovers.
The first turnover was a fumble at the end of the first half, which resulted in a field goal to make it 10-9 going into halftime. The second was one of the aforementioned fumble recovery with six minutes to play.
“Defensive line: I’m really, really proud of those guys,” Pittman said, noting the performances of Maurice Bonneau, Jr, Ravion Cunningham, Luke Bracey and others. “I thought our linebackers filled holes tonight. We can get a little bit better, filling those lanes a little quicker, but the secondary played well. ...
“All in all, I was really proud of the defense. The offense has some catching up to do.”
Quotable: ‘It was different’
Pittman on playing in front of reduced crowd with different set up: “It was different. Yeah, we had a good crowd. I thought it was a little quieter than normal. Student section has moved down. The band is on the other side. I thought it was different. The cheerleaders weren’t in front of the students, so it was just a different environment than what we’re used to. But I think our kids will get used to it, the fans will get used to it, and we’re just glad to be back playing.”
Rock Hill is set to play against Sumter in District Three Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 1. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.
This story was originally published September 26, 2020 at 12:07 AM.
.jpeg)