Nation Ford earns seventh consecutive win over archrival Fort Mill with shutout
Nation Ford head coach Michael Allen has a favorite number. If he has his way, that favorite number will change every year.
Allen’s Falcons, bolstered by an aggressive defense, kicked off Region 3-5A play in style with a 35-0 shutout of crosstown rival Fort Mill at Bob Jones Stadium. In doing so, his club helped him find his new favorite number — seven. The victory marked the Falcons’ seventh consecutive decision over Fort Mill in the Milltown Showdown.
“Seven’s pretty good. We’ll take that,” Allen said after the game. “The kids worked hard. Our whole goal is to get better each time we come on the field. We got a little better, but we were quite sloppy at times.
“It’s a region win for us. It puts us in a good position. It’s like a new season.”
Nation Ford (3-3, 1-0 Region 3-5A) posted the first score, as Will Alvarado rumbled 2 yards into the end zone to put his Falcons ahead, 7-0, over his former Fort Mill teammates. The Falcons traversed 62 yards on seven plays, requiring just short of two minutes to find the end zone.
Joshua Sturgeon picked off a Nation Ford pass to set up the Yellow Jackets on the cusp of the red zone early in the second quarter. Fort Mill (1-4, 0-1) was unable to progress from there, however, as Nation Ford clamped down on defense and forced a Yellow Jacket punt from the Falcons’ 37 that set up the Falcons at their own 9. Two plays later, Jerrick Foster grabbed a reverse and raced 40 yards to the house, capping a 91-yard drive and giving Nation Ford a 14-0 lead.
Foster was just getting started, though.
Fort Mill drove deep into Nation Ford territory, reaching the Nation Ford 2-yard line. The Yellow Jackets attempted a pass into the corner of the end zone, but Foster jumped the route and raced the other way. The senior went nearly untouched 100 yards to the paint, extending the visitors’ margin to 20-0 with 5:11 remaining before the half.
“We haven’t done a lot offensively, but we’ve shown we can drive the football. Tonight, we gave up some big turnovers, and it flipped the script on points on the scoreboard,” said Fort Mill coach Rob McNeely.
The second quarter surprisingly proved quite fruitful for the Falcons. Nation Ford outscored the Yellow Jackets, 13-0, in the period, despite running just three plays to Fort Mill’s 28.
The offensive efficiency continued for the Falcons on their first third-quarter drive. Carson Black connected on two long throws for Nation Ford, with a 55-yard hookup to Kenan Bowman getting the Falcons to pay dirt. Foster found Black on a reverse pass to complete the conversion and extend the Falcons’ lead to 28-0.
Eli Whitner provided the final scoring play of the night, galloping 19 yards to extend the margin to five touchdowns at the 9:39 mark. Fort Mill had one final drive inside the Falcon 10, but Donaven Pittman forced and recovered a fumble to preserve the shutout.
“That was huge for our team,” said Allen of the stop and fumble recovery. “The kids played hard. They deserved that.”
Black turned in an economical effort for the Falcons, completing 10-of-15 attempts for 158 yards and a score. Foster added a rushing touchdown to his three catches, with Bowman cashing in his lone grab. Jerimiah Hailstock rushed 10 times for just over 100 yards, helping keep the Yellow Jackets at bay late in the game.
Michael Threatt put in a strong effort for the Yellow Jackets, carrying 32 times and nearing 160 yards. Threatt’s performance — and that of his offensive line — earned recognition from his coach.
“Our offensive line deserves some credit, too, but Mike is a really patient runner. Sometimes he’s a little too patient,” McNeely said. “When he gets going north and south, he’s pretty fast.”
Both sides continue region play next week. Nation Ford hosts Boiling Springs, while Fort Mill travels to Clover. Each game is scheduled for a 7:30 start.
This story was originally published October 1, 2021 at 11:41 PM.