WHAT WE SAW: Saluda 23, Gray Collegiate 16

Chris Dearing November 12, 2022 @ 07:28 AM

IRMO | [player_tooltip player_id='262674' first='Tyleke' last='Mathis'] was the best player on the field Friday night in Saluda's 23-16 victory over defending Class 2A state champion Gray Collegiate.   The Touchstone Energy North-South selection rarely left the field – he played running back, slot receiver, Wildcat QB, defensive back and returned kicks and punts. It all resulted in 155 yards rushing and 106 receiving night, including the game-winning touchdown with 9:08 remaining.   To cement his spectacular night, he intercepted Gray Collegiate's final desperation pass on the final play of the game.   “We've had a bunch of good players in my years, but that son of a gun is a warrior. He carried us the whole game,” Saluda coach Stewart Young said.   Mathis started in the Wildcat QB spot to begin the fourth quarter and stayed in that position the rest of the way. He carried the ball all but once in the final quarter. He capped a nine-play, 57-yard drive with a 1-yard plunge that ended up being the game-winner.   The Tigers finished with 380 yards of offense despite getting off to a slow start. They fumbled two, one that resulted in a safety and threw an interception in the first five offensive plays of the game. But once they got rolling, things went through Mathis and an offensive line that included JT Lott, Jeremiah Burton and Gage Rinehart.   Mathis got things on-track with a 67-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion pass that saw the Tigers get within 9-8 by halftime. Gray Collegiate increased that lead to 16-8 after Blake Croft recorded an interception on the fourth play of the third quarter and Blaine Redmond raced 25 yards on the next play.   Drew Arant tied things up with a 3-yard TD run and Mathis 2-point conversion run. That set the stage for Mathis getting the game-winner in the fourth quarter. A 37-yard pass from Arant to Jamarcus Mobley set up the game-winner.   “I had to step up and be a leader,” Mathis said. “We had some starting players get hurt so I told coach to just give me the ball. I told the coach to trust me. Give me some juice and we'll be alright.”   Holmes thought the play of Mathis was key.   “(He) is a good player,” Holmes said. “The offense ran through him. They pretty much told us where they were going. They got a drive right there, we get a fourth down and couldn't get a stop. We had some miscues and missed assignments.”   Gray Collegiate lost starting leading receiver Devin Johnson to injury on the third drive of the game. That seemed to get them out of synch offensively with drops and timing routes being off as a result. [player_tooltip player_id='119009' first='Riley' last='Staton'] finished 12-of-26 for 133 yards. BJ Montgomery finished with 81 yards rushing and one TD and Redmond added 61 yards on the ground.   “Our guys were resilient,” Young said. “I believe we were supposed to lose by 17 according to that little site we look at sometimes. We knew we had a good team. We lost two games early in the year that we thought we should have won. We rallied the troops, and our kids fought all night long. We outlasted them in the second half. That's a dang fine football team we beat. They don't just hand out state championships and they got it last year. We're proud of this win.”

IRMO | Tyleke Mathis Tyleke Mathis 5'10" | 170 lbs | ATH Saluda | 2023 State SC was the best player on the field Friday night in Saluda's 23-16 victory over defending Class 2A state champion Gray Collegiate.