Love’s Late Kick Leads Spartanburg Past Dorman

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>SPARTANBURG | <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='816752' first='Will' last='Love']</strong> didn't see the kick that will cement his place in Spartanburg-Dorman rivalry history. He didn't have to. The deafening celebration told him all he needed to know.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shortly after he swung through his field goal attempt from 52 yards, Love was hammered by a Dorman defender. The play drew a flag. The Vikings didn't need it. Love's kick sailed through the center of the goalposts, and Spartanburg took a 33-30 victory over crosstown rival Dorman, handing the Cavaliers their first Region II-5A loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"It was special," Love said. "It was huge. I'm just glad the offense put us in position, glad for the snap, glad for the hold. And I'm glad he sent me out there to kick it."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Love's field goal was the deciding play in a game filled with huge ones. The Vikings and Cavaliers fought to an unlikely stalemate until just seconds remained, but how they got there was something to see.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For starters, both teams' highly-touted running games churned up a bunch of yards and went a long way toward setting the tone. Spartanburg's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172345' first='Trenton' last='Lynch']</strong> was incredible, accounting for 176 yards on the ground and four touchdowns and adding 56 receiving yards. Dorman actually out-gained the Vikings on the ground, with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1664350' first='Nick' last='Means']</strong>, <strong>Carter Nash</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='340230' first='Meek' last='Slydell']</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816266' first='Isaac' last='Tate']</strong> combining for 209 yards on the ground. Nash rushed for a score and Tate notched two on the ground, while Means led the way with 98 yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The bulk of Dorman's offense came from late in the second quarter through midway into the second half, as Spartanburg's defense frustrated the Cavaliers on the way to a 23-7 lead in the early going. Means was largely bottled up in the first half, thanks largely to some huge plays by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822499' first='Christian' last='Davis']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823476' first='Jordan' last='Atkins']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1858092' first='Logan' last='Lawson']</strong>, and <strong>Antavion Hawes</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Meanwhile, Dorman's defense was adjusting to the absence of their top two defensive linemen as <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1639739' first='Christian' last='Waring']</strong> left with an injury and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1664615' first='Zavion' last='Meadows']</strong> was ejected. <strong>Fatiu Salami</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1702151' first='James' last='Porter']</strong> played well on the front, with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822665' first='Donovan' last='Anderson']</strong> and <strong>Antwone Tarrance</strong> turning in some big stops as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both QBs had good nights, too. Dorman's Slydell had a strong first half as he helped engineer the Cavaliers' early comeback. He led a near-perfect two-minute drive near the end of the half, with crucial completions to <strong>Daishon Watkins-Hymes</strong> and <strong>Tregan Mickler</strong> before tossing a 23-yard TD to Means. He finished with 207 passing yards. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Spartanburg's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592374' first='Trey' last='Burke']</strong> (pictured) didn't throw a touchdown pass, but he threw for 207 yards and got the Vikings out of a ton of trouble, particularly by targeting <strong>Torean Davis</strong>. Davis had 102 yards on four catches, and every one of them seemed crucial for the Vikings. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"He's been my guy since we were younger," Burke said of Davis. "I love having him, and having 40 (Lynch), and I just thank the man up above. And having a kicker like Will, it's a blessing. No other high school has that."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the end, it came down to Love and Lynch. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Vikings were forced to punt, and Love had trouble scooping up a low snap, leading to a negative-yardage punt and Dorman taking over at the Spartanburg 13. The Vikings' defense held the Cavaliers to a game-tying field goal, though, as <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822658' first='Ranson' last='Farr'] </strong>booted a 27-yarder. The teams traded punts, and Lynch went to work. His 32-yard run into Dorman territory set the stage for Love, who converted on the kick.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I honestly just tried not to think about it," he said. "I tried to kick it the same as the PATs earlier. I felt the pressure, but it's just deep breath, shoulders back, and kick it."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->