What We Saw: South Florence 42, Westside 41

Chris Dearing December 13, 2024 @ 11:14 PM

ORANGEBURG | It was a contrast of styles but nonetheless it provided high quality entertainment between South Florence and Westside for the second year in a row.   [player_tooltip player_id='272717' first='Tre' last='Leonard'] and [player_tooltip player_id='272722' first='Zion' last='Gilbert'] each rushed for over 100 yards as the Bruins totaled 361 yards on the ground and [player_tooltip player_id='1166986' first='Messiah' last='Jackson'] threw touchdown passes to [player_tooltip player_id='464881' first='Jayden' last='Sellers'] to propel South Florence to a 42-41 victory to claim the Class 4A state championship for the second time in three years.   The back-and-forth affair wasn't decided until Avon Rosado intercepted a two-point conversion try with 1:52 remaining on a double reverse play that was batted around in the end zone before Rosado grabbed it.   “This is a blessing. We've been working for this all year and I'm happy to see we got what we deserved,” Sellers, the South Carolina signee, said. “Player-makers make plays when the game is on the line and that's what we did tonight.”   The Bruins ran the football behind a huge offensive line and dominated the time of possession while Westside's [player_tooltip player_id='346189' first='Cutter' last='Woods'] threw six touchdown passes. The curious thing is the Rams took the ball out of the South Carolina signee's hands when the outcome of the game rested on the two-point conversion attempt.   South Florence trailed by 14 points early but never wavered in what they wanted to do offensively. The Bruins held the ball for 38:45 and ran 75 plays to just 28 plays for the Rams. The line of [player_tooltip player_id='1592650' first='Ethan' last='Cash'], Josiah Mason, [player_tooltip player_id='1578887' first='Barry' last='McLaughlin'], Edgerrin King, Tyler Cockfield and Myles Hutson paved the way for 361 rushing yards and 495 yards of total offense.      The Bruins took their first lead of the game when Leonard scored on a 4-yard run with 2:12 remaining and Evan Holland connected on the PAT to make it 42-35 with 2:12 remaining.   “It was a special night for everybody. Our O-line did a great job, our running backs did a great job, our wide receivers did a great job, and our defense did a great job,” Jackson said. “We all came together collectively and did our part. We didn't need one person to make plays, we needed 11 guys on the ball making plays.”   But Woods, who was 11-of-19 for 411 yards, threw his fourth TD pass to [player_tooltip player_id='272708' first='Chamarryus' last='Bomar'] on a 50-yard strike that brought Westside within one point with 1:52 left. The Rams ran a double-reverse on the two-point conversion attempt but the pass by [player_tooltip player_id='346197' first='Jameson' last='Wilson'] fell into the hands of Rosado.   Jackson was masterful in running the Bruins attack. The junior ran for two touchdowns and 49 yards and completed 9-of-11 for 134 yards and touchdowns of 18, 22 and 31 yards to Sellers, who finished with seven receptions for 121 yards and a 40-yard kickoff return.   The contrast in styles resulted in South Florence running 75 plays to just 28 plays for Westside and held a 38:45 to 9:15 time of possession advantage.   While Jackson was more methodical, Woods was hitting quick strikes. With former South Florence and current South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers looking on from the sideline, Woods threw TD passes of 38, 69, 56 and 50 yards to Bomar and a 74-yard dart to Dreson Evans and a 74-yard touchdown to [player_tooltip player_id='272705' first='Armoni' last='Weaver'].   Bomar finished with 213 yards receiving and Weaver added 115 yards. Bomar also added an interception in the end zone that halted a South Florence drive in the second quarter.   Last year, Woods threw a TD pass with 15 seconds remaining to give Westside a 34-32 victory in the title game.   But even with all of that scoring, the defensive efforts were still there. South Florence defenders didn't have many tackles since Westside only ran 25 plays, but [player_tooltip player_id='1592462' first='Willie' last='Kennedy'] finished with three tackles and [player_tooltip player_id='816736' first='Terry' last='Gordon'] added two. Clemson signee [player_tooltip player_id='809742' first='Amare' last='Adams'] had a tackle for loss and that came late to set up the game-winning TD drive.   Several Westside players played both ways, including Bomar and Weaver, and rarely came off the field. Wilson totaled 20 tackles and a tackle for loss from his safety position and [player_tooltip player_id='809749' first='RJ' last='Livingston'] added 14 tackles.

ORANGEBURG | It was a contrast of styles but nonetheless it provided high quality entertainment between South Florence and Westside for the second year in a row.