What We Saw: Strom Thurmond 43, Pelion 7

PELION | As a Shrine Bowl selection and Tennessee commit, wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='208338' first='Braylon' last='Staley'] gets the bulk of attention on Strom Thurmond's offense.   It only took the first play from scrimmage in the Rebels' 43-7 victory over Strom Thurmond Thursday to see why. Catching the inside screen pass from quarterback Quan Edmonds, the 6-foot, 180-pound senior seamlessly raced past the pursuing Panther defenders for a 54-yard touchdown.   Staley also had two similar touchdown receptions that were called back due to penalties. He also had a memorable 16-yard reception in which he weaved past and broke away from as many as five Pelion defenders.   Staley finished with 87 receiving yards and he and [player_tooltip player_id='1254050' first='Jay' last='Sewell'] each had a team-high five receptions. The win allowed Strom Thurmond (6-2, 3-0) to stay one-half game ahead of next week's opponent, Silver Bluff, in Region III-2A.   “We've got weapons,” Staley said. “The speed of this offense, we run at fast pace. We don't slow down.”   “It's just a blessing,” said Edmonds, who threw for 205 of his 217 yards in the first half. “You've got guys that you know if you put the ball in the right spot, they're going to come down and make plays. Just throwing to those boys every day at practice, it's just fun having a top receiver. When you've got fast receivers that can make plays downfield, the (defensive backs) are just scared and they're taught not to get beat deep and leave the inside wide open.”   While Strom Thurmond head coach Andrew Webb said his team had difficulty adjusting to the slippery field conditions, its ground game remained effective against a feisty but injury-riddled Panthers.   Raymond Burge accounted for two of the Rebels' five rushing touchdowns from four players. The Rebels finished with 178 rushing yards, 62 from Tranquillis Mathis and 47 from Burge.     Watt and Staley both cited the offensive line as the main reason for the team's success during the three-game winning streak. The Rebels have outscored their opponents 134-24 in that span.   Webb praised seniors HD Yonce and Justus Hammett as setting the tone with returning starting center Trent Kelly and Micah Warren and Tucker Mims on the offensive line.   “Those five guys, they take a lot of pride in playing upfront,” Webb said. “With all the guys that we have and the people that get a lot of publicity – Quan and Braylon and (Demarius) Tolen and Jay – sometimes those guys get left out. But within our four walls of our locker room, those guys upfront got our respect.”   “The o-line is just blocking and leading the way,” Staley said.   On the defensive side of the football, the Rebels limited the Panthers to 158 total yards. They sacked quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='267470' first='Luke' last='New'] (pictured) three times and forced him into two interceptions.   Despite the constant pressure, New remained resilient throughout the game. He threw a 57-yard bomb to Julian Tyler in the fourth quarter, saw significant time at defensive back and returned kicks.   “He's a heck of a player,” Pelion head coach Dann Holland said. “He's a heck of a kid. He comes from a good family. He's good in the school building during the daytime. He's what every coach wants in high school football.”   Despite the loss, Holland was pleased with the running of fullback Carlos Rivera on offense and the aggressive play of lineman Kaleb James and cornerback Corey Campbell on defense.   “I'm proud of our effort,” Holland said. “They've got a heck of a football team. They're really talented, especially on the perimeter. We did some good things tonight. We played hard. Just missed a tackle here, missed a block there. Against a team like this, you just can't do that. They're too fast and too skilled.   “But I'm proud of our effort. I thought the kids played hard in some pretty tough conditions. We're really, really banged up right now.”

PELION | As a Shrine Bowl selection and Tennessee commit, wide receiver Braylon Staley Braylon Staley 6'1" | 185 lbs | WR Strom Thurmond | 2024 State SC gets the bulk of attention on Strom Thurmond's offense.