Turnovers, Run Game Key For Rock Hill Over Nation Ford

FORT MILL | Rock Hill picked a perfect time to play complimentary football.   The Bearcats forced two key red zone interceptions and ran the ball well to pull away from Nation Ford for a 30-14 win on Friday night.   “I'm proud of our kids and our coaching staff. They did a great job this week, especially having the week out of school. It was a statement win. We were able to execute on the ground with the ball and get two picks defensively, so, a great job overall,” Rock Hill head coach Leon Boulware said.   It appeared JoJo Brooks was going to get things started with a kickoff return for a touchdown, but it was called back due to a penalty.    The Bearcats marched down on their opening drive with a big run from [player_tooltip player_id='1818213' first='Devan' last='Erby'] to get them to midfield. [player_tooltip player_id='1823452' first='Donovan' last='Franklin'] lined up in the wildcat and looked shifty. The lengthy drive ended with a 1-yard [player_tooltip player_id='1816896' first='Jonah' last='Young'] touchdown run on 4th and goal. The extra point was no good as the Bearcats took a 6-0 lead with 5:17 to play in the opening quarter.    [player_tooltip player_id='1635014' first='Malachi' last='Drayton'] was a guy that the Falcons wanted to get the ball to early and often, and he looked strong running inside and broke a few tackles on Nation Ford's opening drive. [player_tooltip player_id='1821733' first='Jayden' last='Scott'] did a nice job of high pointing the ball for a first down on third down. [player_tooltip player_id='1592521' first='Kason' last='Canupp'] connected with Ja'Mari Gore for a 26-yard touchdown to give the Falcons a 7-6 lead with 11:07 to play before the halftime break.   Rock Hill had a special teams gaffe on the ensuing kickoff and the Falcons recovered the live ball inside Bearcats' territory. The threat was quickly ended by a [player_tooltip player_id='1819632' first='Kimari' last='Barber'] interception in the endzone with 7:52 to play before the half.   [player_tooltip player_id='1088328' first='Nigel' last='Lightner'] did a nice job on the ensuing series of turning and getting up field for a first down on third down. Brady Adkisson got his hands up for the Falcons on the next third down, and it looked like the Bearcats would punt.   Nope. [player_tooltip player_id='618765' first='Katarius' last='Gill'] (pictured above) converted on a fake punt as the Bearcats went into the bag of tricks for a first down. It led to a 4-yard Franklin touchdown run to give Rock Hill the lead back at 13-7 with 2:15 remaining before the half. He had an interception on Nation Ford's last drive of the half, as part of a big night. He credited his teammates for sparking his big night.   “It was help from my teammates. If the defensive line was getting to the quarterback on the fake punt, if they weren't blocking, on the pick doing their thing, I couldn't do it without them. (The key) was playing fast. Knowing their guys and watching the film, knowing what they do. That's how we were able to play faster and react better,” Gill told Prep Redzone SC after the game.   The third quarter commenced, and the Falcons went on a long, sustaining drive with completions to Scott and [player_tooltip player_id='1824012' first='Asher' last='Beck'] near the sideline. But on 4th and 6 with 7:26 to play at the Rock Hill 22, Kanupp's pass intended for the star receiver Scott was incomplete on a go route.   [player_tooltip player_id='1816800' first='Kaydin' last='Green'] stuffed a Bearcats' run on third down, and it was decision time on 4th and 1. The result? Franklin took the direct snap and sprinted 43 yards right up the middle to make it 20-7 Bearcats with 1:43 left in the third quarter. The run game was a recurring theme throughout the evening.   “(Give) credit to our offensive line. They came in about three weeks ago and nobody's giving them credit – I think we averaged 29 yards rushing. We put our hand in the dirt and got back to work, got it cleaned up and gave our guys lanes to run in. Those guys, they work hard,” Boulware said.   But the Falcons struck back fast on the flea flicker as Canupp found Beck for a 78-yard touchdown grab, cutting into Rock Hill's lead at 20-14 with 1:20 left in the quarter. The fireworks continued as Young found Brooks streaking down the sideline wide open for a 48-yard score to put the visitors from the south side of Rock Hill back up 27-14 with 11 seconds left.   IT WAS OVER WHEN…   Gill forced a strip sack to end the third quarter as [player_tooltip player_id='1818204' first='James' last='Heckard'] knocked through a field goal to increase the lead to 30-14.   ROCK HILL NOTES   [player_tooltip player_id='1635381' first='Kaleb' last='Wright'] brought pressure on Canupp forcing a bad throw on 4th down as the Falcons tried to stay within striking distance late with 4:22 to play in the contest.   [player_tooltip player_id='1825355' first='Zaire' last='Williams'] got good penetration in the backfield for a tackle for a loss on a second down play in the third quarter. He also chased down Canupp on third down, forcing the 4th down play on Nation Ford's opening drive of the third quarter.   NATION FORD NOTES   [player_tooltip player_id='1858215' first='Isaiah' last='Johnson'] made a nice tackle early in the first quarter on a verse to limit the gain on a play along with [player_tooltip player_id='1821314' first='Joey' last='Reagan'] on the defensive line.   Micah Gadsden closed on the ball quickly with an excellent pass break up in the second quarter when Rock Hill tried to hit a pass in the quick game.   ON DECK   Rock Hill hosts Northwestern in the city rivalry at District Three Stadium, while Nation Ford hosts Catawba Ridge.

FORT MILL | Rock Hill picked a perfect time to play complimentary football.