Clover Rallies In Second Half To Beat Fort Mill

FORT MILL | Trailing 23-7 in the third quarter, Clover needed a spark offensively.   The Blue Eagles are known for running the football with [player_tooltip player_id='1824427' first='Grady' last='Stone'] in 2025, but they went to the passing game with [player_tooltip player_id='1407416' first='Aaron' last='Shealey'] as he connected with LaTrell Ellison (pictured above) for a 29-yard touchdown with 2:12 remaining as part of a 20-point second half run to come from behind to beat Fort Mill, 27-26 on Friday night.   “All I can say is we worked hard and we kept fighting. And we didn't let down. We got the touchdown and we won. (Shealey) is a dog. I'm glad he looked at me and we just have chemistry.” Ellison told Prep Redzone SC after the game.    [player_tooltip player_id='1823019' first='Henry' last='Crocker'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1394975' first='Joseph' last='Duey'] made their presence felt for the Yellow Jackets with tackles for loss on Clover's first drive. Josiah McGill blocked the punt and [player_tooltip player_id='1267211' first='Gray' last='Patterson'] scooped it up to give Fort Mill a 6-0 lead with 9:37 to play in the first quarter.   Clover made a big play on defense of their own as [player_tooltip player_id='1743683' first='Carson' last='Pinti'] and Damian Talford combined for a tackle for loss on third down. The Jackets opted to go for it on 4th and 3 on their own 34 with 6:31 to play in the first quarter but [player_tooltip player_id='1404968' first='Jackson' last='Hill'] and others stuffed the run play.   The Blue Eagles took advantage of the short field with a 12-yard scramble from Shealey for a touchdown as they took the lead with 4:47 to play in the first quarter at 7-6.   But for every big play Clover would make in the first half, they would make a mistake with a penalty – and Fort Mill took advantage. Example No. 1 came as Armanti Francis made a good tackle on a bubble screen to get them off the field on 3rd down. The Jackets went for it on 4th down again with 3:13 to play in the first quarter, Clover made the stop, but a facemask penalty extended the drive.   Clover's defense came up with an interception to end the scoring threat with 1:33 to play in the first half.   Example No. 2 came after a Stone fumble on the next play led to a 22-yard [player_tooltip player_id='1820447' first='Noah' last='Hardy'] field goal to give the Jackets a 9-7 lead with 9:59 to play before the half.   Najah Potts set Clover up ideal field position with a 59-yard return, but the Yellow Jackets stiffened and held the Blue Eagles again on 4th down with 8:01 to play before the half.   [player_tooltip player_id='1266099' first='Broden' last='Mitcheson'] was a playmaker for the Yellow Jackets – he made a first down on a screen on third down before scoring on a wheel route from 13 yards out on a throw from [player_tooltip player_id='1149056' first='Quinn' last='Kelly'] to give Fort Mill a 16-7 lead with 4:36 to play before the half.   Hardy tried a fake punt with 1:54 left and it fell one yard short before missing a 49-yard field goal as the two teams went to the halftime locker room.   “Our kids don't ever give up. We had plenty of opportunities where things just didn't go our way. They had a very good football team and things just weren't going well. And our kids kept fighting and gave us a chance there at the end. And just like it went against us last week, momentum gets on your side and kids are playing hard, big things can happen,” Clover head coach Perry Woolbright said.   Shealey began to spark the second half comeback late in the third quarter as he found [player_tooltip player_id='1827403' first='Jake' last='Nicely'] for a 29-yard touchdown pass on a skinny post with 3:36 to play. The two point try was no good.   After a quick stop to end the third quarter, Clover's offense wasn't done making plays. Shealey connected with [player_tooltip player_id='1827400' first='Braxton' last='Goodman'] for a 48-yard touchdown to cut Fort Mill's lead to 28-20 with 11:05 to play.   Mitcheson picked up a critical first down with 7:44 to play in the contest, but had to settle for a 38-yard field goal from Hardy.   Goodman, Ellison and Stone made some critical first downs on the game winning drive.   Talford would close out the contest with a fumble recovery on a Kelly scramble as the Blue Eagles were able to pick up a first down and run out the clock.   “Every game is going to be like this in our region this year. It's going to go down to the final play. The ball could go either way, depending on which way it falls. Who makes the play at the end of the game, so it's important to get these because it's going to be even tougher. Next week we get Northwestern, then we get a bye week, then we go to Indian Land, then we go to Nation Ford, then to Catawba Ridge so every one of these we get is going to be big,” Woolbright said.   On Deck   Fort Mill travels to District 3 Stadium to face Rock Hill, while Clover hosts Northwestern.

FORT MILL | Trailing 23-7 in the third quarter, Clover needed a spark offensively.