What We Saw: Spartanburg Roars Back For Region II-5A Title

Jed Blackwell October 29, 2021 @ 11:13 PM

Spartanburg QB [player_tooltip player_id="89339" first="Raheim" last="Jeter"] saw plenty of things the Vikings will have to improve upon to make a deep playoff run. He did plenty to get them the best possible draw. Jeter threw for 253 yards and a score, rushed for two more touchdowns, and engineered a comeback from a 24-7 deficit as the Vikings defeated arch-rival Dorman 28-24 to win the Region II-5A championship on Friday. "It’s amazing," Jeter said. "It’s definitely a step in the right direction. It shows people what we can do." Jeter did a good job of keeping the Cavaliers’ defense off-balance, and shouldered a lot of the load on a night when Spartanburg found it difficult to run the ball. He was most effective in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. The Vikings scored 21 points in the frame, as Jeter threw for 114 yards on 7-of-11 passing. His biggest was a 61-yard catch-and-run to Andrew Dantin for the game-winning score with 59 seconds left. Jeter fit the ball into a tight window on the home sideline, and Dantin made a tackler missed and raced off for the score. "That’s just me trusting my guy," Jeter said. "I know if I need a play Andrew - and any of my receivers, really - will go make a play. That’s what he did right there." Now, the Vikings will have at least two home playoff contests, should they keep winning. Jeter said that’s just where they want to be. "We still have to work to get better," Jeter said. "We made a lot of mistakes and we still won. Just imagine what we can do." • Dantin had a great night for the Vikings, providing every yard on the game winning drive on three straight completions. That capped a 7-catch, 134-yard night, including the game-winner. "I just knew it was probably coming my way," Dantin said of the touchdown catch. "He just put a good ball on me, and I was able to take it to the end zone." • [player_tooltip player_id="89301" first="Judah" last="McJimpsey"] was a wrecking ball for the Spartanburg defense. McJimpsey had 15 tackles, a sack, and three tackles for loss. • For Dorman, [player_tooltip player_id="89299" first="Hudson" last="Lee"] led the defense with nine tackles, two tackles for loss, a pass break-up, and a fumble recovery.