Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl: North Team Notes

Brandon Stockdale December 11, 2021 @ 03:17 PM

Saturday’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl provided an opportunity for seniors to put the pads for one last time. With 70 degree temperatures and partly cloudy skies, you couldn’t have asked for a better day for the best of the best in the state of South Carolina to showcase their talents. For the North Team, it was more of a defensive showcase for most of the first half before the offense got going in the second half. It wasn’t enough as [player_tooltip player_id="91237" first="Drew" last="Stevens"] (North Augusta) knocked through a 32-yard field goal with 1:54 to play in the game as the South walked away with a 20-17 victory, their third consecutive win in the series. BRINGING THE PRESSURE [player_tooltip player_id="89302" first="Jahiem" last="Lawson"] (Daniel, pictured above) was involved early and often as he finished with 3 tackles for loss. He was relentless in his pursuit of QB [player_tooltip player_id="59494" first="Ryan" last="Burger"], as he recorded two sacks on the same drive in the second quarter. He batted a ball high into the air in the third quarter and was an overall force to be reckoned with as he walked away with MVP of the game on defense for the North Team. [player_tooltip player_id="59502" first="Dumkele" last="Idehen"] (Indian Land) is not afraid to get his hands dirty as he was active making tackles in space near the sideline. The game changing play for the North Team came from him for a 32-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown with 7:51 to play in the third quarter. He finished with 7 tackles. J.D. Lawson (Spartanburg) picked off [player_tooltip player_id="59494" first="Ryan" last="Burger"] midway in the fourth quarter to set up what was an exciting finish. FINDING A RHYTHM [player_tooltip player_id="153264" first="Trent" last="Pearman"] (Daniel) threw for 141 yards on the afternoon, but three interceptions proved to be costly. Despite that, Pearman was able to connect with [player_tooltip player_id="153245" first="DJ" last="Black"] (Chapman) on an acrobatic 29-yard touchdown reception in the left corner to tie the game at 17 with 11:53 to play in the fourth quarter. He won the MVP on offense for the North Team, finishing with 3 catches for 34 yards. One of Pearman’s favorite targets during the contest was [player_tooltip player_id="153265" first="Darius" last="Bowser"] (Clover). There was a play in the third quarter on a screen pass where Bowser used a stiff arm to get extra yards. Bowser finished with 6 catches for 48 yards. [player_tooltip player_id="89314" first="Kazarius" last="Adams"] (Gray Collegiate) wrapped up his high school career with 58 yards rushing and no touchdowns, but he turned the corner in the first quarter on a run play and it looked like he may score. He was effective in catching the ball out of the backfield. [player_tooltip player_id="89310" first="Kanoah" last="Vinesett"] (Northwestern) was critical in the field position battle. The NC State commit pinned one punt inside the 5-yard line and got the first points of the afternoon for the North Team on a 41-yard field goal in the first quarter. OTHER NOTES <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">[player_tooltip player_id="103786" first="Luke" last="Bracey"] (Rock Hill) came up with a sack on third down in the first quarter. The North Carolina Central University commit’s pursuit angle on a quarterback keeper was impressive to watch. He finished with 4 solo tackles and 2 sacks.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">[player_tooltip player_id="89325" first="Micaiah" last="Settles"] (A.C. Flora) made two plays in the second half where he beat his man off the snap of the ball, not allowing the run game to get going.</li> </ul>