What We Saw: Daniel 49, Camden 48 OT Class 3A State Championship

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>ORANGEBURG |</strong> Three yards. Nine feet. One hundred and eight inches.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That turned out to be the difference in the Class 3A state championship Saturday night. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1144087' first='Ty' last='Plumblee'] </strong>stopped <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='139311' first='Grayson' last='White']</strong> just short of the goal line on a two-point conversion attempt in overtime to give Daniel a thrilling 49-48 victory over Camden to win a state championship for the third time in four years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Daniel's senior class finishes their four-year career with an astonishing 51-1 record. The only loss came in the playoffs last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Every class is different, and every group is different. We know that. We talked specifically to this group about the ability to overcome adversity and to never think you're out of a fight or out of a game,” Daniel coach Jeff Fruster said. “This program is very fortunate and very blessed.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The way the game played out, there was little surprise it took overtime to settle things. Each team threw haymakers and each team flinched, allowing both sides to stay in a game that ended with 834 combined offensive yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Daniel had the ball first in the extra period and gambled on fourth down. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1360192' first='Jason' last='Bish']</strong> just crossed the goal line on a 5-yard pass from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1055627' first='Kolton' last='Chapman']</strong>. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1578838' first='Bruce' last='Brown']</strong> added decisive extra point before the Camden offense took the field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lions were flagged for offsides on first down and on the next play, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='448982' first='Jaquarius' last='Mayrant'] </strong>took a jet sweep in from five yards out to make it a one-point game. Camden coach Brian Rimpf called time out to talk it over and the Bulldogs elected to go for two and the win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>White, the Bulldogs QB that had accounted for over 4,300 yards of total offense and 54 touchdowns coming into the game, faked the jet sweep and tried to go in over the right side of the line but that's where Plumblee stepped in the hole and tackled the 250-pound quarterback a yard short.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Number 15 (White) is great quarterback,” Plumblee said. “He's a leader so I knew he wanted to have the ball, so I just had to find a way to beat him to the hole.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fruster was thankful his team made that final play. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“One play. It's a game of inches,” he said. “We make one play, we're going to be successful. If we don't make that play, we're going to be crying. Thankfully enough, we made the play.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Camden (11-4) never led and fought back to score twice in the last 6:49 to force overtime. They trailed 42-28 after a <strong>Ja'Kari Bennett</strong> 35-yard touchdown run with 7:04 remaining. On the ensuing kickoff, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1142669' first='Aidan' last='Heriot'] </strong>threw a lateral across the field to Mayrant, who ran it in from 76 yards to make it 42-34 after the extra point was missed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bulldogs got the ball back when the defense stuffed the Lions on a fourth and short from the Daniel 46-yard line with 4:44 remaining.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Camden used a seven-play drive to cover those 46 yards and White scored from two yards out. He then added the two-point conversion run to tie it at 42. Daniel (15-0) was able to attempt a 51-yard field goal as time expired, but it was well short.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first five series of the game each resulted in touchdowns for the offensive team. Daniel received the opening kick and covered 70 yards in nine plays when Chapman scored from two yards out. It didn't take long for Camden to respond on a 36-yard run by Mayrant to tie it at the 6:44 mark of the first quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chapman scored his second rushing touchdown on the next possession when he scampered in from eight yards out. The Bulldogs answered that drive with the longest possession drive of the game when they went 66 yards in 13 plays and took 6:37 off the clock to score on a 7-yard run from White.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bennett converted a fourth and short when he raced 36 yards around the left end that made it 21-14 Lions with 8:06 left in the half. On the next offensive play. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='986041' first='Tremaine' last='Davis']</strong> stepped in front of an out pattern and raced 51 yards to the end zone for a pick-six. Daivs finished with two interceptions. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Camden was able to punch one in right before the half when Mayrant scored his second rushing touchdown on an 11-yard run with 35 seconds left in the half. Daniel led 28-21 at the break.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second half opened in Daniel's favor. On the first play, <strong>Isaac Turner</strong> intercepted a tipped pass to give the Lions possession at the Bulldogs 27. Three plays later, Bennett scooted 22 yards and Daniel led 35-21 less than two minutes into the second half.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Camden responded with a 1-yard scoring run from White with 5:33 remaining in the third quarter. The teams then traded turnovers – <strong>JoJo Crim</strong> recovered a fumble to stop a Daniel drive deep in Bulldogs territory. Davis then had his second interception, this time in the end zone on a fourth down play. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bennett finished with 145 yards and three touchdown runs while Chapman added another 117 yards and two scores. Chapman also threw for 130 yards and one touchdown. The Lions finished with 409 yards of total offense and a lot of that had to do with the group up front. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1142430' first='Watson' last='Young']</strong>, <strong>Seth Corontzes</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='348881' first='Sean' last='Bolger']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='346200' first='Rocky' last='Herd']</strong> and <strong>Will Davis</strong> controlled the line for most of the night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ben Joplin</strong> recorded 14 tackles for Daniel. Plumblee and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1157945' first='Spencer' last='Conn']</strong> added eight tackles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>White ended his stellar career with 116 yards passing and another 103 yards rushing and three scores. Mayrant added four touchdowns with 103 yards rushing, 50 yards receiving and another 85 yards on kickoff returns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='448983' first='Wilson' last='Nash']</strong> was the leading tackler for Camden with eight tackles. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1575400' first='Wyatt' last='Thompson']</strong> and<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1267206' first='Dontrell' last='Wilson'] </strong>added seven tackles each.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->