South Pointe is outplayed by 5A South Carolina football giant Dutch Fork, falls 35-7
Perhaps this was South Pointe’s only chance.
With 11 seconds left in the third quarter and South Pointe down 28-0, Troy Frazier caught a short kickoff. He danced his way around the first wave of defenders and bounced to the right sideline. Then, he switched course, got a few blocks and ran to his left and into the endzone — the South Pointe sideline erupting so loudly it drowned out the scoreboard’s end-of-third-quarter buzzer.
But a flag was dropped at the 50 yard line. It was on South Pointe. The return was called back.
That play, before it was undone, was the only hope for a comeback in South Pointe’s 35-7 loss to Dutch Fork in District Three South Stadium in Rock Hill on Friday night.
The Silver Foxes, by virtue of a three-touchdown performance by Clemson-bound quarterback Will Taylor and a two-touchdown performance by running back Marcus Taylor, notched 337 yards in the first half and didn’t look back.
The Stallions had a few untimely penalties in addition to the one on the touchdown return — including a roughing the passer call that called back a South Pointe interception in the third quarter. But the miscues wouldn’t have stopped non-region foe Dutch Fork, the undefeated team looking for its fifth consecutive 5A state title led by legendary coach Tom Knotts.
“We were proud of their fight, never giving up,” offensive line coach Frank Ambrose told reporters postgame. “Everything that we’ve worked for is still in front of us, and that’s taking it into December and playing for a state title.”
South Pointe head coach DeVonte Holloman was not on the sideline like usual on Friday night. Holloman was ejected from a non-varsity football game on Thursday night, which prevented him from coaching in the varsity football game the next day, South Pointe athletic director Adam Hare confirmed to The Herald.
“We talk about how the people that we care about are our family and our team, and we’re going to rally around whoever needs it, and tonight it was Coach Holloman,” Ambrose said. “I hope with our performance — not based on the scoreboard but how we performed and kept pushing — that he’s proud of what we did.”
South Pointe’s sole score was a two-yard Nygel Moore run for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. South Carolina commit O’Mega Blake took all first-half reps at quarterback, and Nebanye Moore took all the snaps in the second half — but neither one was able to get much going against Dutch Fork’s rigid defense.
The Stallions travel to District Three Stadium to take on Rock Hill next week.
QUOTABLE: ‘Our guys never quit’
Ambrose: “Our guys never quit. We talked about it being a prize fight, a heavyweight title fight. And we took shots, got up from the mat and kept swinging.”
This story was originally published October 30, 2020 at 11:07 PM.
.jpeg)