Waymond Jenerette’s monster night leads South Pointe to a monster win over Laurens

Waymond Jenerette has been a do-everything player for South Pointe this year. In the first half Friday night, about the only thing he didn’t do was write the recap of his huge outing.

Jenerette caught a touchdown pass, ran for another out of the Wildcat formation and threw for a third in a stellar opening 24 minutes. The performance helped set the stage for a dominant Stallion outing. South Pointe turned away visiting Laurens, 47-20, to claim victory in the second round of the South Carolina AAAA state playoffs.

“He’s just continuing to play well and do anything we ask him to do,” South Pointe head coach DeVonte Holloman said after the game. “He’s an unselfish kid and really great player. To see him have the success that he has had all season is a credit to him and his hard work.”

Zay McCrorey found Jenerette on a fade in the left corner of the end zone to cap a snappy opening South Pointe drive. The 9-yard score put the Stallions ahead just over two minutes into the game. Following a forced punt, the Stallions again went to the house. Caleb Sims ran 13 yards to the paint to extend the home side’s lead to 14-0.

The Stallions then compelled a turnover on downs following consecutive stops on the final two attempts of the Laurens drive that started the second quarter. South Pointe (9-1) needed just two plays to convert the opportunity, with Jenerette handling all the duties from the Wildcat position. The playmaker first cashed in a 12-yard run, then galloped for a 69-yard score — with McCrorey throwing a key block to help spring him — to add six more points to the total.

“We’ve just got a bunch of unselfish guys who really don’t care who gets the credit,” Holloman said about the McCrorey block. “Zay is a quarterback, and everybody sees the size and his arm. A lot of people are starting to take a look at him. If he doesn’t work out at quarterback, he could play tight end. It’s important that we put him in that position to get some stuff on film.

“I’m pretty sure he pancaked that dude that he blocked,” Holloman added with a laugh.

McCrorey connected with Demari Kendrick for a 40-yard score three minutes later to grow the lead to 27-0. Laurens (6-4) then broke the seal on a one-play drive following an interception, with James Rawl finding Jay Pulley for a 43-yard score to cut the advantage to 27-7. McCrorey then scored again — on a reception from Jenerette — from 5 yards away to close the first half scoring and give the Stallions a 34-7 interval advantage.

The sides traded scores in the third, with a 4-yard Sims run two minutes into the quarter adding to the South Pointe tally. Tye Roberson then ran one in from nine yards at the three-minute mark to slice the Laurens deficit to 41-13. Jayden McGowan then snared an 18-yard inside screen to make it 41-20. Freshman Stallion running back Aiden Turner then ran in the final score from 8 yards away, following a Dalton Bucy interception return to the 3.

“We gave up more points than I would like to, but they played well and I can’t complain,” Holloman commented.

McCrorey threw for just shy of 225 yards and the two scores, connecting on 15-of-19 throws. Jenerette hauled in eight passes for just over 100 yards to accompany his receiving score. Jenerette’s 81 rushing yards were eclipsed by the 102 posted by Sims, with Sims adding two rushing touchdowns. The Stallions tallied over 550 yards of total offense in the victory.

Jenerette added two school records to his performance. His receiving yardage total earned him the highest total in a season for a South Pointe receiver, along with his touchdown reception earning the school record for touchdown grabs in a season.

Rawl hit 25-of-38 throws for Laurens, finishing with just over 270 yards. McGowan grabbed 11 of those completions, finishing with 107 yards. Pulley added 69 yards and a touchdown on four catches. Roberson rushed 14 times for 66 yards and a touchdown.

With the victory, South Pointe advances to a third-round matchup at Greenwood next Friday. The Stallions and Eagles will face off from J.W. Babb Stadium at 7:30.

“We’ve gotta be smart. We’ve gotta play physical football,” said Holloman of the matchup. “We’ll get in the training room and try to get everybody healthy and try to do it again next week.”

This story was originally published November 12, 2021 at 10:51 PM.