‘I don’t second-guess that call’: Nation Ford falls 1 point short of Gaffney OT upset

Nation Ford scored 26 points — 22 unanswered — in the second half and overtime.

But after a score in OT, a failed two-point conversion, and then an ensuing touchdown and PAT allowed, the Falcons fell, 41-40, to the Gaffney Indians on Friday night in Fort Mill.

Sophomore quarterback Carson Black had a hand in all six touchdowns with five passing and one rushing for the Falcons. He was 42-for-63 for 414 yards and two early interceptions.

Ty Keaton caught three of those scoring passes and had seven catches for 121 yards.

Sophomore Kenan Bowman had two interceptions and caught a touchdown pass.

Jerrick Foster had 120 yards on 11 catches and a score. Nation Ford outgained the Indians with well over 500 yards of total offense.

Notable: Nation Ford early turnovers

The Falcons turned the ball over on three of their first four possessions and spotted Gaffney — a team that’s largely considered one of the best in the state — leads of 21-0 and 28-6 before getting into a rhythm.

Nation Ford had four turnovers total in the first half. The team also had two failed extra point attempts.

The Falcons turned the ball over on downs on their first drive of the second half after reaching the Indians 11-yard-line. Nation Ford pulled off a great fake punt early in the second quarter which Steven McFadden took 45 yards. That led to the first Falcons score.

Quotable: Final play of the game

“We were a little worried about our kicking situation,” Nation Ford coach Michael Allen said about the two-point conversion attempt in overtime. “We’ve had a couple people out. And we felt like we had a good play-call. I don’t second-guess that call. I’d do it a hundred times.”

This story was originally published October 10, 2020 at 12:02 AM.