Carter, Gators Defense Roll Over Cane Bay

WEST COLUMBIA | River Bluff junior wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1078102' first='Darius' last='Carter'] is making it hard for the Power 4 schools to ignore him. If they turn on the film from the Gators 24-13 victory over Cane Bay in the first round of the Class 5A, Division I playoffs, they will see several highlight worthy plays.   He finished with six catches for 168 yards and all three River Bluff touchdowns.   “We started off the season 5-5 but going into the playoffs, everyone is 0-0. We came out and got the win tonight,” Carter said. “When the ball is in the air I'm going to go get it. Just being a key player to the game and getting plays in certain situations when we need it.”   Let's break down the three scores. He capped the Gators opening drive by catching a 2-yard TD toss from [player_tooltip player_id='1344583' first='Brayden' last='Moore'] to tie the score at 7-all.   The teams traded punts before River Bluff's [player_tooltip player_id='1817074' first='Colt' last='Manley'] recovered a fumble at the Gators 35-yard line.   Carter and Moore went to work again. That duo started a three-play, 65-yard drive with a 39-yard pass on a flea-flicker to move into the Cobras territory. The pass was short, but Carter adjusted and made the catch over the Cane Bay defender.   Two plays after that, Moore had a defensive lineman right in his face when he lofted a pass up to Carter and he was able to haul it in right at the back of the end zone and get both feet down.   “Guys like (Carter) do what they need to do come postseason,” River Bluff coach Perry Parks said. “I'm proud of him and his growth. He's just now scratching the surface on how good he can be. He's going to end up being a P4 guy.”   Moore was making a return to the starting lineup after being displaced by freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1600293' first='Davis' last='Taylor'] the last couple of games. Parks said Moore had the better week of practice and deserved to get the starting nod.   Moore turned his ankle on the first River Bluff drive in the third quarter when he tried to score from the 1-yard line on fourth down. He was 5-of-10 for 116 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions before leaving the game.   Taylor and Carter wasted very little time getting into sync. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Taylor threw into double coverage along the River Bluff sideline, but Carter went between the two defenders and caught the pass, made one move and waltzed in for a 47-yard touchdown.   Taylor finished 2-of-4 for 61 yards and a score. Carter said there is very little difference between the two quarterbacks.   “They're really identical,” Carter said of the two quarterbacks. “They train every day and we stay out here after practice getting more work in. We're building chemistry with both and they're both really good.”   Cane Bay runs a triple option attack and it's hard for teams to simulate that in practice. That had Parks worried before the game, but his young defense was up to the test for the most part.   Cane Bay took the opening kickoff and marched 80-yards in 14 plays and scored on a 1-yard run by [player_tooltip player_id='1732605' first='Tyler' last='Meyers']. Meyers did his share of the work with 129 yards on 25 attempts.   But they settled in after that. Manley and Noah Robinson recovered fumbles for the Gators. The only other touchdown they allowed came with 8:10 remaining when [player_tooltip player_id='1809049' first='Colby' last='LaRocca'] jumped in from the 1-yard line.   The linebacker group of [player_tooltip player_id='1824104' first='Reece' last='Huffstetler'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1818414' first='Josiah' last='Robinson'] never let the Cobras get things going on the outside and Charlie Walton, [player_tooltip player_id='1824093' first='Justin' last='Montalbo'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1824102' first='Mason' last='Stewart'] cleaned up enough on the inside. Huffstetler finished with 14 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss and Robinson added 13.   “Our guys did a good job stopping (the option),” Parks said. “I'm proud of the defense for getting stops when we needed it against a non-traditional offense.”   RIVER BLUFF NOTABLES   Sophomore kicker [player_tooltip player_id='1467817' first='Liam' last='Flynn'] gives the Gators a weapon not many schools have. Other than trying an onside kick after the first River Bluff touchdown, he kicked into the end zone and forced the Cobras to drive it 80 yards for a score. He punted well and pinned the Cobras back deep several times. He sealed the game with a 35-yard field goal with 1:21 remaining but it looks like his range is from 50 yards and in.   Running back [player_tooltip player_id='1592250' first='Hayden' last='Myers'] was coming off a 300-yard performance against Lexington in the season finale and he was the workhorse again. The senior carried 28 times for 156 yards. The senior trio of [player_tooltip player_id='1592647' first='Alex' last='Kirylo'], Landon Hudgens and LJ Berndt paved the way up front and protected the two quarterbacks.   “We can switch it up. We can run the ball and throw the ball,” Carter said. “We're a versatile team so anyone that comes in front of us, we can run the ball or throw the ball and they will have to stop it.”   CANE BAY NOTABLES   Running back [player_tooltip player_id='1818053' first='Samuel' last='Rolston'] finished with 14 carries for 80 yards and was a solid replacement for Meyers when he needed a breather.   Linebackers [player_tooltip player_id='1550068' first='Cameron' last='McCoy'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1738833' first='Brody' last='Thacker'] were active and made a couple of plays behind the line of scrimmage. They were close to getting to Moore and Taylor several times but missed by a step or two each time. Defensive linemen [player_tooltip player_id='1823810' first='Devin' last='Cobbs'] and Jonathan Rose filled the running lanes several times.   UP NEXT FOR RIVER BLUFF: At Stratford

WEST COLUMBIA | River Bluff junior wide receiver Darius Carter Darius Carter 5'11" | 160 lbs | WR/ATH River Bluff | 2027 State SC is making it hard for the Power 4 schools to ignore him. If they turn on the film from the Gators 24-13 victory over Cane Bay in the first round of the Class 5A, Division I playoffs, they will see several highlight worthy plays.