South Pointe shows flashes of how good it could be in region win over Indian Land
Quan Peterson knew.
Late in the second quarter, with South Pointe up two touchdowns at home in Rock Hill on Friday night, South Pointe’s leader on the defense saw the Indian Land offense line up from the shotgun on 4th and long, set up as if the Warriors were going for it on fourth down deep in their own territory.
But Peterson wasn’t deceived.
He knew, he said, that Indian Land quarterback Blake Goode was setting up to punt the ball, like Goode had the previous possession.
And Peterson also knew, he said, that if he fielded Goode’s punt — he was gone.
“We already knew what was coming,” Peterson told The Herald postgame, a smile sneaking out of his face. He described watching the ball in the air and it landing in his arms before looking upfield and seeing a whole bunch of grass. “I already knew once I got the ball and was in the clear that I was going to score.
“When I went to the sideline, I already knew nobody was going to tackle me. Cuz one person (alone) can’t tackle me, no matter how big you are.”
Of course, he was right: Peterson took the punt out of the air, tip-toed around and bounced off a few Indian Land tacklers and eventually fell into the end zone for a 49-yard touchdown punt return and a first-half dagger that the Warriors could never quite recover from.
The Stallions ended up winning, 28-13. And a large part had to do with the punt return by (and also the confidence of) Peterson — the talented South Pointe defensive back; the Syracuse football commit; and the Stallions’ emotional leader, whose championship bravado seems to bring a championship edge to a team that might just have what it takes to stomp its way into Columbia this year.
“He’s becoming more of a leader on the football field than he has in the past,” Holloman told The Herald. “And the team follows him. He gives them life. Gives us energy. And tonight he was finally able to break loose with the ball in his hands one time, so that’s something to think about as we head into the bye week. But just proud of our team overall. Proud of Quan, too.”
South Pointe football defeats Indian Land
Indian Land never threw in any proverbial towel, but South Pointe grabbed hold of the game early and never relinquished control.
The scoring started late in the first quarter: A few plays after Jakhari Webb took a bubble screen 46 yards to kick start the Stallion offense, quarterback Zay McCrorey lofted a beautiful fade to wide receiver Waymond Jenerette for a 9-yard touchdown. 7-0, South Pointe up.
On the ensuing Indian Land possession, the Warriors had their punt blocked, and South Pointe’s Johnathan Williams picked it up and ran it 35 yards for another score to extend the lead to 14-0.
Then, four minutes before the halftime break, the aforementioned Peterson punt return extended South Pointe’s lead to 21-0 and nearly sucked the life out of the visiting-side bleachers.
It didn’t fully, of course. Indian Land marched on: With 34 seconds left in the half, the Warriors punctuated their first real promising drive of the night with a 3-yard rushing score from Myles Stinson. And then in the second half, after an 8-yard rushing score by South Pointe running back Ja’Quan Thompson, Indian Land responded with a 17-yard connection between quarterback Goode and receiver Sean McCray for another score to pull the game to 28-13.
But two plays later — a futile onside kick attempt and then, with just over a minute remaining, a South Pointe interception by Tyrone Butterfield — the game was over. The Stallions had won.
Friday marked South Pointe’s 42nd consecutive region win, a streak dating back to 2013. It also delivered South Pointe (6-1) a 3-0 start in region play — one win (against York in two weeks) away from claiming another region title.
“We found a way to win this one,” Holloman said. “Found a way to get some stops down near the goal line, which we’ve been really good at this season. But you know, like I said, we have a week to get our feet under us, get healthy, before we play another tough York team.”
Stat leaders
The Stallions had a pretty balanced effort on Friday night.
Running the ball: Thompson notched 66 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries; Caleb Sims had 35 yards on nine carries.
Passing: Zaveion McCrorey finished 14 of 21 for 177 yards and a touchdown and an interception.
Receiving: Three players finished with over 50 yards — Demari Kendrick (4 catches, 61 yards); Jakhari Webb (2 catches, 60 yards); and Jenerette (7 catches, 64 yards and a touchdown).
The Stallion defense allowed 413 total yards (which isn’t an insignificant amount) but caused two turnovers (one interception by Isiah Steele — which was caught in the end zone and effectively stuffed a promising fourth-quarter Warriors drive — and another interception by Butterfield). The team was also aided by Peterson’s punt return for a touchdown.
The Warriors were led by Goode, who completed 18 of 31 passes for 286 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. They were also helped by Kendrick Armstrong, who notched 14 yards on the ground 62 yards receiving; McCray, who added three catches for 40 yards and a touchdown; and Jaden Peoples, who notched three catches for 49 yards and an interception on defense.
“That was a tough Indian Land team,” Holloman added. “You know, region play is on the line, everybody fighting for their playoff lives. So we knew it wasn’t going to be easy.”
And it wasn’t. But it was a win nonetheless — one that affirmed how good the Stallions are right now, and showed flashes of how good they could grow to be.
The Stallions are on a bye next week before playing York in its final region contest. Indian Land plays Catawba Ridge on Friday.
This story was originally published October 16, 2021 at 1:28 AM.
.jpeg)