What We Saw: Gaffney 29, Dorman 14
In this article:
ROEBUCK | Jaiden McDowell Jaiden McDowell 5'10" | 180 lbs | RB Gaffney | 2026 State SC came up big. It’s exactly what he’s done all year. McDowell, Gaffney’s incredibly talented sophomore running back, notched 147 yards and a touchdown…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingROEBUCK | Jaiden McDowell Jaiden McDowell 5'10" | 180 lbs | RB Gaffney | 2026 State SC came up big. It’s exactly what he’s done all year.
McDowell, Gaffney’s incredibly talented sophomore running back, notched 147 yards and a touchdown as the Indians beat Dorman to stay perfect in Region II-5A and set up a showdown with Byrnes for the region championship next week.
McDowell started hot, with 39 first-quarter yards, and averaged more than five yards per carry on the night. He didn’t break many long ones, instead grinding out yards outside when he could, and between the tackles when he had to.
“Getting the ball to the outside was working,” McDowell said. “We were able to get the edge and go.”
Two carries illustrated what makes McDowell so special. On the first, he picked up a crucial first down on a direct snap in the Indians’ short-yardage package. He said it helped to have massive Shrine Bowl DL Jarriel Jefferies leading the way.
“Those boys are powerhouses right there,” McDowell said with a grin. “They gave me what I needed.”
The second was all McDowell. On his longest run of the night, he rambled 31 yards around the left side, with about 20 of those coming after he ran straight through a Dorman defender’s chest.
“I love showing them they can’t tackle me, especially one-on-one,” he said.
Putting Up Numbers
Riley Staton Riley Staton 6'3" | 185 lbs | QB Gaffney | 2024 State SC had what seemed like a quiet night at QB. Then you look up, and you realize that he threw for 231 yards and two scores against a Dorman secondary that’s been stingy all year. He tossed TDs to Jamarcus Smith Jamarcus Smith SC and Drew Medley, and ran for a 14 yard score. In fact, he was Gaffney’s second-leading rusher, and accounted for nearly 300 yards of total offense.
Defense Dominates
The Indians defense was incredible, particularly in the first half, as Jefferies helped lead the way. He smothered a Dorman running play for a tackle for loss on the Cavaliers’ first play of the game, had a crucial sack on the second series, and finished the game with three total tackles, two for loss, a sack, and a pass break-up. Gaffney had nine tackles for loss in the game, as Imari Foster-Boyd notched three. On one series in the first half, he pressured Dorman’s Brice O’Neal into an incompletion, then recorded two sacks on back-to-back-to-back plays.
Big Step Up
For Dorman, O’Neal had his most prolific game of the year through the air, throwing for 311 yards. He tossed a pair of touchdowns to TraVon Fernandez, who finished as one of four Cavaliers with at least 60 receiving yards.