High School Football

Dominant South Carolina wins annual Shrine Bowl all-star football game

South Carolina used a strong defensive performance to win its second straight Shrine Bowl on Saturday.

Rock Hill quarterback and Appalachian State commit Matthew Wilson threw two touchdown passes as South Carolina defeated North Carolina, 24-0, in the 87th annual all-star game at Spartanburg High School.

“It was about business. They worked hard and they played hard,” S.C. coach Wayne Farmer told reporters after the game. “They gelled and you can see the team cohesion. I’m just so proud of them.”

Wilson was named the offensive MVP for the S.C. squad. He was 8-of-14 passing for 163 yards with TD passes to Strom Thurmond WR Braylen Staley, a Tennessee commitment and Calhoun County’s Christian Zachary, an N.C. State commitment.

Staley caught three passes for 62 yards and Zachary had two for 67, including a 43-yard TD grab to put South Carolina up 10-0 with 3:31 left in the third quarter.

South Carolina added a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, one on Staley’s 41-yarder from Wilson.

Midland Valley’s Traevon Dunbar led the S.C. team on the ground with 76 yards rushing and a fourth-quarter touchdown to complete the scoring. The drive was set up by Marion defensive back and Kentucky commitment Quaysheed Scott’s interception. Scott led the South defense with six tackles.

South Pointe’s Zantwan Nelson was the Defensive MVP for the S.C. squad after racking up four tackles, including one for loss. West Florence’s Kelvin Hunter, a South Carolina commitment, had four tackles.

The South’s defense held North Carolina to just 49 yards of total offense and three first downs in the game.

“The secondary was awesome, but the defensive line put so much pressure on their offense to make the secondary so good,” Farmer said.

Hough’s Nolan Hauser was North Carolina’s offensive MVP. The Clemson commitment averaged 42.7 yards on 12 punts. Reagan High’s Landan Callahan was the N.C. team’s defensive MVP after having a team-high nine tackles and one interception.

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

SC — Coleman Fanzone 33 FG, 10:56

Third Quarter

SC — Zachary 43 pass from Wilson (Fanzone kick), 3:31

Fourth Quarter

SC — Staley 41 pass from Wilson (Fanzone kick), 2:10

SC — Dunbar 3 run (Fanzone kick), 1:16

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — NC: Adams 7-19; Mason 3-19; Manuel 1-17; Kerr 5-7. SC: Dunbar 15-76; Richards 13-39; McFadden 3-18; Smith 5-11; Young 1-8; Reeder 2-1.

PASSING — NC: Medders 4-13-0 (-2); Newbaugh 1-10-1 (-5). SC: Wilson 8-14-1 163; Martin 6-11-1 44; Reeder 1-3-0 24.

RECEIVING — NC: Paylor 3-(-3); Manuel 1-1; Flippen 1 (-5). SC: Staley 3-62; McFadden 3-55; Smith 3-46; Zachary 2-67; Richard 2 (-3); Young 1-2; Boston 1-2.

South Carolina receiver Braylon Staley of Strom Thurmond High, Tennessee commit, runs after a catch near North Carolina defensive back Deuce Walker of East Bladen High, committed to Georgia State during the first quarter of the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas football game at Viking Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C.
South Carolina receiver Braylon Staley of Strom Thurmond High, Tennessee commit, runs after a catch near North Carolina defensive back Deuce Walker of East Bladen High, committed to Georgia State during the first quarter of the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas football game at Viking Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C. Ken Ruinard - staff Ken Ruinard/USA TODAY NETWORK

This story was originally published December 16, 2023 at 5:54 PM with the headline "Dominant South Carolina wins annual Shrine Bowl all-star football game."

Lou Bezjak
The State
Lou Bezjak is the High School Sports Prep Coordinator for The (Columbia) State and (Hilton Head) Island Packet. He previously worked at the Florence Morning News and had covered high school sports in South Carolina since 2002. Lou is a two-time South Carolina Sports Writer of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Support my work with a digital subscription
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