What We Saw: Bill Pate White Rose Classic

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>YORK |</strong> In the final tuneup before Week Zero arrives next week, Friday's Bill Pate White Rose Classic was certainly not perfect, but it provided coaches and players an opportunity to see what they need to correct in a half scrimmage before it all begins to count next Friday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>GAME 1: CATAWBA RIDGE 7, WESTWOOD 0</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The lone score came 2:50 to play in the contest as <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1283702' first='Braylen' last='Burgis']</strong> scored off a screen and left everyone in the dust after the throw from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1574007' first='CJ' last='Couch']</strong> for the Catawba Ridge Copperheads.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Neither team looked sharp offensively, as they would make one good play and then have a penalty, a bad snap or a missed assignment, all things Copperheads' head coach Zac Lendyak knows will need to get corrected before next week.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We've got to be mentally tougher. When the ball's there and hits you in the hands, you've got to catch it. We can't be jumping offsides. We can't be having alignment penalties. Just the things we can consider Catawba Ridge football, we've got to do better. Being mentally tough, physically tough, playing 48 full minutes, that's what we're looking for next Friday,” Lendyak said.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defense stole the show from the first play as Westwood recovered a fumble on the second play from scrimmage before <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1720069' first='Zion' last='Oliver']</strong> make a pick off a deflection. The Copperheads made their fair share of plays defensively as well as <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1290615' first='Jaylon' last='Richardson']</strong> had a nice pass breakup and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1360198' first='Lewis' last='Price']</strong> was active on the night, including on the last drive where he made a sack to seal the game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Catawba Ridge opens the 2024 season next week against Chapin at home. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>GAME 2: BYRNES 22, CLOVER 14</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Anytime you can force four turnovers in any game, much less a scrimmage, you're going to win a lot of games. That's what Byrnes did on defense, which allowed them to get off to a quick start.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ta'lik Dawkins </strong>scored for the Rebels immediately after Clover threw an interception to open the game. Things went from bad to worse the next possession as a bad snap went over the punter's head for the Blue Eagles leading to a safety, giving the Rebels a 9-0 lead. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clover would block a field goal with 4:53 left in the first half, but the momentum was short lived as the Blue Eagles fumbled on the next series, leading to a <strong>Jacobi Fuller </strong>touchdown run as Byrnes extended the lead to 15-0 with 2:52 to play in the first half. <strong>Kaylin McDowell</strong> eluded defenders after a pass from <strong>Zy Landrum</strong> as Byrnes took a commanding 22-0 lead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clover would fight back with a [player_tooltip player_id='1012627' first='Landon' last='Stone'] touchdown run late to make it 22-7 before <strong>Brody Woolbright</strong> connected with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402485' first='Cameron' last='James']</strong> to close the scoring at 22-14.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We could've laid down as bad as we played in the first half but we kept fighting and we came back and got back a little bit there at the end. Scored two touchdowns late, defense tightened down but that's what we've got to do from the start. We've got a lot of young faces. It's the first time a lot of our guys have played a varsity football game. I think the nerves got us early on. We finally settled down and once we settled down, we played a lot better. But we've got to start that way next week and us as a staff have got to make sure our guys are ready to go,” Clover head coach Perry Woolbright said</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clover opens the 2024 season against Chambers out of Charlotte on the road next week.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>GAME 3: YORK 10, FORT MILL 7</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The night cap started out much like the other two — the defense made a highlight play. Fort Mill's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1394975' first='Joseph' last='Duey']</strong> came up with a strip sack on the first play, and took it into the end zone to take a 7-0 lead with 11:43 to play in the first half.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>York responded with some nice catches and runs from <strong>Jonathan Tobias</strong> and <strong>Ziggy Byers.</strong> The Cougars would get on the board with a pass from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592333' first='Tayshon' last='Freeman'] </strong>to <strong>Jay McCoy</strong> on a slant with 7:36 to play in the first half.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>York added three points from <strong>CJ Mendoza </strong>to close the scoring at 10-7 with 20.6 seconds to play in the first half. Yellow Jackets LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267211' first='Gray' last='Patterson'] </strong>recovered a fumble in the second half, which turned out to be the highlight of the half as the game was called off the very next snap due to torrential downpours and lightning in the area.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>York opens the 2024 season at Indian Land next week, while Fort Mill will face the Ballantyne Ridge, a new school out of Charlotte on the road next week.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->