What We Saw: Defensive Dominance Leads To North Win at Touchstone
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After hearing all week about how good South’s offense was, the North players in the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl wanted to make a statement. They did it with a more physical brand of football. The Blue won Saturday’s North-South all-star…
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Continue ReadingAfter hearing all week about how good South’s offense was, the North players in the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl wanted to make a statement.
They did it with a more physical brand of football.
The Blue won Saturday’s North-South all-star game 22-14 after recording seven sacks, 11 tackles for loss, picking off three passes and forcing a fumble. And none of that included a second-quarter blocked punt from Westside’s Hunter Puckett Hunter Puckett 6'3" | 240 lbs | ATH Westside | 2023 State SC .
“After that blocked punt, I realized we were more aggressive than they O-line,” Puckett said. “After that blocked punt, a switch turned on.”
North eventually turned out South’s lights for good when defensive linemen Anthony Thurman (Blythewood) and Abraham Fyffe Abraham Fyffe 5'10" | 230 lbs | DL Chapman | 2023 State SC (Chapman) sacked Fort Dorchester quarterback Zolten Osborne Zolten Osborne 6'2" | 205 lbs | QB Fort Dorchester | 2023 State SC as time expired and South needing a miracle.
That type of pressure was consistent through – if the sacks and TFL figures weren’t evidence enough.
Hillcrest’s Jeb Robinson Jeb Robinson 6'1" | 210 lbs | DL Hillcrest | 2023 State SC had three tackles for loss. Thurman had two. David Wilson David Wilson 6'1" | 205 lbs | LB Spring Valley | 2023 State SC (Spring Valley), Puckett, Terri Hopkins (CA Johnson), Josiah Jeffrey (Greenwood), Damien Jackson Damien Jackson 6'0" | 220 lbs | LB Northwestern | 2023 State SC (Northwestern) and Fyffe all had one each.
Two Evan Javis Evan Javis 6'0" | 190 lbs | RB Spring Valley | 2023 State SC (Spring Valley) interceptions and a third from Gaffney’s Kaliber Hoey also helped North’s cause, as did Wilson’s forced fumble.
It was that type of afternoon for North, and South felt that pressure time and again.
MVP HONORS
Hillcrest’s Bennett Judy Bennett Judy 6'3" | 195 lbs | QB Hillcrest | 2023 State SC and Westside’s Puckett were named the North’s offensive and defensive MVPs, respectively, while Brookland-Cayce’s Tanner Staton Tanner Staton 6'2" | 205 lbs | QB Brookland-Cayce | 2023 State SC and Beaufort’s Colton Phares Colton Phares 6'1" | 185 lbs | DB Beaufort | 2023 State SC did the same for the South.
Judy was efficient, passing for 140 yards while completing 10 of his 14 attempts in the process. Puckett blocked that second-quarter punt, and he also had four tackles, a tackle for loss and was part of a sack.
Staton threw two touchdowns – South’s only two of the day – and ended with 114 yards. Phares had nine total tackles and a tackle for loss in the game.