South Florence throttles Sumter - The (Sumter) Item

[SF Band dad]

South Florence throttles Sumter
Justin Driggers | The (Sumter) Item | SCNow.com

<Excerpts - full article at the headline link>

SUMTER, S.C. — The Sumter High School football team was hoping to avoid a repeat of its past two games on Friday – ones that resulted in lopsided defeats prior to the Gamecocks’ bye week.

Bruins’ quarterback Nick Jones threw for 220 yards and three scores while running back Rodney Brunson plowed up 140 yards on the ground and added two more scores in a 44-21 victory at Sumter Memorial Stadium.

[bbrown1240]

Well...at least the hardest part of our schedule is over with. #44 for SF is too tall to be playing football.

[DeCav]

BB, hopefully last year wasn't a blip for you folks?

[bbrown1240]

Well last year we had a solid senior defense led by our defensive line. Our starting defensive line this year are all sophomores. But I can find excuses for the defense. There is no excuse for us not to be putting up points offensively. Its playcalling. Teams are doubling Tyler #23 and keeping two high safeties. We have to adjust. We need more playaction passes and more motion in the offense. We can get very predictable on offense. One good thing I've seen over the past two games is we are passing in the middle of the field more. Hopefully we figure it out now against competition that is not at the level we were playing the last couple of weeks. The best way to help a young defense is to score points offensively and not go 3 and out. Last year we figured it out in region play and beat 3 teams in the playoffs that would have smoked us earlier in the year. I hope we have some magic left but who knows. Its been a crazy high school and college football season so far. I don't know who is the favorite to win anything.

[SF Band dad]

But Sumter wasn’t done just yet. Quarterback James Barnes found Kalip Franklin for a 37-yard score as the Gamecocks regained some momentum just before the break, cutting the lead to 31-14.

Things tightened up even more at the start of the second half. Sumter literally rode Jenkins to another score as the junior back carried the ball 10 straight times, the last of which for 33 yards to paydirt as the Gamecocks pulled within 31-21.

Jenkins was chewing us up. If Sumter could have kept SF off the board in the 3rd I'm sure they would have kept handing him the ball. But down 16 points late in the 3rd quarter they couldn't afford long, "clock eating" drives on the ground.

SF scored TDs on their first two possessions of the game. That was a hole that Sumter didn't have enough time to dig out of.

[wildcatnation]

South Florence dad what west Florence look like this yr?

[SF Band dad]

South Florence dad what west Florence look like this yr?

I think they are a "middle of the pack" 4A-II team this year and have a fair shot of at making the playoffs. If Sumter doesn't turn things around and WF beats them next week (in Sumter), they'll be in a good position to claim an automatic berth.

If they lose to Sumter they can still get an automatic berth by beating Carolina Forest and Socastee. (The Horry County trifecta.)

....or they could beat one of them and SF in week 11. No, that's not happening.