Stephens, Loris Run Wild In Win Over Orangeburg-Wilkinson

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>LORIS |</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422632' first='Makel' last='Stephens'] </strong>didn't come into Friday's playoff game lacking confidence in his team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>By the end of the night, it was hard to find anyone at Heniford Field who wouldn't be confident in the Lions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We were all with each other since we were little,” Stephens said after Loris dispatched Orangeburg-Wilkinson 56-20 in the second round of the 3A playoffs. &nbsp;“We've got a good connection, we know what we are and what we're going to do.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Even if the Bruins knew what Stephens wanted to do, they were helpless to stop it. Stephen rushed for 254 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries, leading the way for a Loris ground attack that gashed Orangeburg-Wilkinson for 364 rushing yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Loris took the momentum on the opening kickoff as the Lions recovered the kick at the Orangeburg-Wilkinson 22-yard line. Three plays later, Stephens scored on a three-yard touchdown run as Loris grabbed a 7-0 lead just 72 seconds into the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lions continued to lean on their ground game as Stephens knifed through the Bruin defense en route to a 38-yard touchdown on Loris' second drive to make the score 14-0 with 5:13 left in the opening quarter. Stephens ended the first period with 111 yards rushing on seven carries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Orangeburg Wilkinson's defense kept the Bruins around for the remainder of the half, forcing three turnovers on the Lions' next four drives. Loris did manage to stretch its lead to 21-0 on a 15-yard touchdown pass from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='797160' first='Moon' last='Gerald']</strong> to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824547' first='Mykhai' last='Bell']</strong> with 10:40 left in the second quarter. However, the Bruin defense turned the Lions over twice inside Orangeburg-Wilkinson's 35-yard line in the second stanza to prevent the deficit from growing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stephens continued to tear through the Bruins in the second half, notching his third rushing touchdown on a 10-yard score as Loris extended its lead to 28-0 on the opening drive of the third quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Orangeburg-Wilkinson finally got on the scoreboard after a bad snap on the first Loris punt of the night gave the Bruins possession at the 17-yard line. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1474133' first='Brenden' last='Peoples']</strong> scored on a four-yard keeper to make the score 28-7.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Loris put the game away with a flurry of touchdowns over the next five minutes. Gerald scrambled 24 yards to the one-yard line, then fumbled the ball into the end zone where Bell fell on it to give Loris a 35-7 lead with 4:32 to go in the third quarter. On the next snap, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1656668' first='Khalid' last='Sherman']</strong> stepped in front of a Bruin pass and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stephens found paydirt for the fourth time with 1:33 left in the third as his two-yard touchdown run made it 49-7.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gerald connected with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422629' first='Roderick' last='Purcha']</strong> for an 18-yard touchdown with 8:33 left in the game to give the Lions 50 points for the eighth time in 12 games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Peoples scored on a quarterback sneak and threw a touchdown pass against the Lions' backups as Orangeburg-Wilkinson saw their season come to an end at 10-2.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Even in a 36-point victory, Loris could have done more. Gerald, who entered the night with just one interception all year, was picked off twice and the Lions fumbled deep in Bruin territory late in the second quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>However, nothing could derail Stephens and the Loris run game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“[Stephens] looked like his old self tonight,” Loris head coach Greg Mance said of star running back. “That was the key to the game tonight. We hang our hat on being able to run the football. I thought our offensive line dominated the game tonight.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lions now head to Newberry for a battle of unbeatens with a berth in the Lower State championship game on the line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stephen, unsurprisingly, like the Lions' chances.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“I feel like if we keep doing what we're doing,” he said, “we're going to win it all.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>LORIS NOTABLES</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592447' first='Jacobien' last='Lewis']</strong>, WR/DB 2026 – Lewis made an impressive 19-yard reception, but his impact was felt most on defense. He finished with two tackles, two pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery, leading a secondary that shut down the Bruins' passing attack.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473018' first='Landon' last='Conner']</strong>, DL/OL 2026 – Connor was a wrecking ball on defense with four tackles and a pass deflection, but he may have been even more impressive on the other side of the ball. He pulled from his left guard position all night and opened gaping holes for Stephens and the rest of the Lion running backs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816129' first='Donaldson' last='Williams']</strong>, LB 2027 – Loris came close to blocking multiple punts throughout the first half and finally got one when Williams broke through with a block and recovery inside the Orangeburg-Wilkinson 20-yard line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821015' first='Jamarius' last='Wilson']</strong>, DL/OL 2026 – Wilson led a fearsome pass rush from Loris as the Lions pressured Peoples and kept him on the move throughout the night. He also was part of a Loris offensive line that constantly created huge running lanes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>ORANGEBURG-WILKINSON NOTABLES</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1220232' first='Christopher' last='Glover'] II</strong>, LB/RB 2026 – Glover was the Bruins' most active defender, finishing with seven tackles and a 47-yard interception return. He chased down Stephens from across the field on multiple runs to keep big gains from becoming even bigger.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820131' first='Jackson' last='Glenn']</strong>, OL 2027 – Orangeburg-Wilkinson's best stretch of offense came at the end of the second quarter, when the Bruins came out in the Power I and ran off right tackle repeatedly behind Glenn.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1734490' first='Jaylen' last='Dash']</strong>, DB 2026 – Dash patrolled the secondary effectively and helped keep the Lions' passing game in check. He tallied three tackles along with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mason Bell,</strong> SS 2028 – Bell provided fireworks with a kickoff return for a touchdown that was called back due to a penalty, but also played well in the back end with three tackles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>UP NEXT FOR LORIS:</em></strong> at No. 2 Newberry</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->