What We Saw: James Island 24, Lucy Beckham 13

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MOUNT PLEASANT | </strong>The nicknames smelled blood in the water, and it led to some history for James Island.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Trojans' three-head rushing attack of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='594497' first='James' last='Maxwell']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='589055' first='Amontrae' last='Scott']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='605524' first='Amor' last='Scott']</strong> (pictured, left to right) - also known as “Showtime,” “Junior” and “Tank” - combined for 261 rushing yards and three scores against one of the state's best defenses to lift James Island past previously undefeated Lucy Beckham 24-16.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the process, Jamar McKoy's team finished off its first undefeated regular season in school history, as well as its first ever back-to-back region championships.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“As soon as we got on that bus and came across that bridge, there was a lot of pressure,” <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='589055' first='Amontrae' last='Scott']</strong> said. “…It feels good. It feels so good. Me, Tank and Junior, we can't do it without our O-Line, but we really do have the best backs in the state.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While other tailbacks around the state are getting significantly more acclaim have been putting up bigger numbers than another of the Trojans' three, Friday's showing was just what this offense might have needed. You see, while their relative lack of production through the majority of the first nine weeks of the season could be explained by blowouts, running clocks and chances for younger players to get on the field, when their team needed them, there was no denying how potent they could be.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='589055' first='Amontrae' last='Scott']</strong> finished with 15 carries for 125 yards and touchdown. Maxwell had 13 carries for 64 yards and two touchdowns. And <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='605524' first='Amor' last='Scott']</strong> added eight carries of his own for another 72 yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What's more, it all came against a Lucy Beckham team with plenty to prove and plenty of defensive firepower. And the Bengals certainly came out swinging. Even with two defensive linemen out (injury, suspension) and another going down in the first half (injury), coach Jamel Smith's bunch wasn't exactly giving much ground.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bengals led 7-6 heading into halftime.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Right around then was when the Trojans pounced.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>James Island took the opening possession of the third quarter 65 yards in just 1:45, capping it off with Maxwell's 20-yard touchdown, his second of the game. After forcing a punt, the Trojans did it again, punching in a quick, 41-yard drive with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='589055' first='Amontrae' last='Scott']</strong>'s 15-yard touchdown. All of a sudden, a 7-6 Lucy Beckham advantage became an 18-7 James Island lead. Still, it wasn't more solidified until the three spurred a 5-minute series to open the fourth quarter that quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='91365' first='Braxton' last='Scott']</strong> finished that one off with a two-yard run of his own.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We've got three backs who can start anywhere in the state and they share carries,” McKoy said. “That's why we don't have a single back over 1,000 yards or anything like that. We share the ball. We spread the ball around. That can be difficult for [opposing] teams.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>OTHER JAMES ISLAND NOTABLES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While Trojans' place kicker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='605521' first='Gray' last='Dangerfield']</strong> had a night he'd rather forget, senior punter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='91354' first='Coleman' last='Franzone']</strong> kicked off what he hopes will be a big weekend with a highlight-reel performance.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>His four punts averaged 50 yards per. That list included a 44-yarder that pinned Lucy Beckham at its own 5-yard line (although the Bengals would turn that into a 95-yard touchdown drive). He also pinned Lucy Beckham at its own 10 on another punt.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Franzone is making a quick turnaround and flipping coasts, heading to an official visit at UCLA.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>LUCY BECKHAM NOTABLES</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With quarterbacks <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='91365' first='Braxton' last='Scott']</strong> of James Island and Lucy Beckham's <strong>Chalmers Ballard</strong> combining to throw for just 171 yards, this game was clearly about ball control and pounding the rock. The Bengals had their share of success with it, too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Starting tailback <strong>Stephen Segars</strong> finished with 21 carries for 127 yards and a score. He had three rushes of 20 yards or more. Senior backup <strong>Charles Byrd</strong> also got into the action, adding a 20-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that amounted to Lucy Beckham's only second-half points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->