Currence, Brown and OL Power South Pointe to 4A Title

ORANGEBURG | South Florence wanted a slugfest. South Florence also wasn't ready for South Pointe's willingness to feel right at home in that type of environment.   Stallions star seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1819627' first='J'Zavien' last='Currence'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1165128' first='RJ' last='Brown'] ran all over the Bruins en route to a 35-14 win in the Class 4A state championship on Saturday at South Carolina State's Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.    For South Pointe, this wasn't fancy. It was about tucking the rock and making the most of every carry behind a powerful offensive line that showed how it could implode an opposing defense from the inside-out.   “It was amazing,” Brown said. “I thank them boys. I can't do that without that offensive line. It's the best offensive line in the state.”   Said Currence (pictured): “We've got guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1165103' first='Anthony' last='Baxter'] and then we've got young guys who are in the right position.”   Currence only specifically mentioned Baxter at left guard, but this was a collective effort of dominance.   [player_tooltip player_id='1856920' first='Tae' last='Wylie'] (LT), [player_tooltip player_id='1822176' first='Brandon' last='Williams'] (C), [player_tooltip player_id='1734465' first='Jaydon' last='Lee'] (RG) and [player_tooltip player_id='1825085' first='Cevion' last='Douglas'] (RT) were opening holes large enough to drive through right off the bat. Currence (18 carries, 124 yards) scored a rushing touchdown in the first quarter and then added another in the second. Brown (21 carries, 193 yards) scored his first touchdown on a 53-yard run 21 seconds into the second quarter. It was his biggest run of the day, until it wasn't.   That's because - after South Florence gained significant momentum and narrowed a one-time four-touchdown game back to two scores in the third quarter - that offensive line orchestrated the penultimate drive of the Stallions' season. After getting the ball back with 1:10 remaining in the third quarter, the line, Currence and Brown went back to work in a big way.   Currence extended the drive twice. He picked up eight yards on a third-and-four to give the Stallions their initial first down of the series. Five plays later, with South Pointe facing a fourth-and-three, Currence again slithered through traffic to pick up another first down and simultaneously cross midfield. The quarterback added a through in tight quarters to [player_tooltip player_id='930586' first='Dailan' last='Duncan'] on another third-down play before Brown all but ended it with a 29-yard run down to the 1.    On the next play, the senior transfer from Lancaster ended any chance of a South Florence comeback while also further appreciating his transfer from Lancaster last winter.    “It feels like I made the best change of my life,” he said.   The line in front of him didn't hurt.    “I played O-Line at this place, so that's the standard,” South Pointe coach Bobby Collins said, referencing his playing career at South Carolina State. “We challenged those guys so hard to run the football. My O-Line did it at a high level. They just weren't big enough to deal with what we had up front.”   All told, that 14-play series that resulted in the final points of the game chewed up 80 yards and 8:16 of clock and was a considerable chunk of an offensive performance that included 334 South Pointe rushing yards.    And, now, the Stallions have an eighth state championship and fourth in the last decade.    OTHER SOUTH POINTE NOTABLES   [player_tooltip player_id='1267332' first='CJ' last='Wherry'] DB, South Pointe 2026 - Wherry kept things all Stallions when he intercepted a deep pass in the end zone near the end of the opening quarter. At the time, the game was still a one-touchdown affair. However, on the ensuing possession, Currence and Brown went one-two to march South Pointe 80 yards in just five plays and 1:49 to make it 14-0. Wherry added three tackles to his resume for the day.   [player_tooltip player_id='2071810' first='Darien' last='Judge'] LB, South Pointe 2026 - Judge led the way for a South Pointe defense in more ways than just his team-best eight tackles against South Florence. Judge, an outside linebacker, also had 3.5 tackles for loss and forced a fumble on a third-down play. The Bruins recovered that fumble but were forced to punt. On the ensuing possession, the Stallions added their second Currence rushing touchdown of the game and pushed their lead to three scores.   [player_tooltip player_id='284136' first='Miles' last='Wilson'] DL, South Pointe 2026 - Wilson needed significant help getting off the field near the end of the first half and eventually went to the locker room a few minutes early to get checked by the training staff. But he returned in the second half and contributed to help bottle up the South Florence offense enough to protect the lead. Wilson finished with three total tackles, but two of those were tackles for loss.    [player_tooltip player_id='1036779' first='Kaiden' last='Watkins'] DB/WR, South Pointe 2027 - Watkins added to South Florence's early struggles when he jumped a slant pattern to give the Stallions their second interception before halftime. Watkins was in tight coverage and made the inside move to create the turnover. Had he not made the play, it very well might have led to a Bruins' touchdown on the play. His second pick loomed even larger. On South Florence's opening series of the second half, Watkins picked off a batted ball in the traffic, then sprung loose and marched into the end zone to give South Pointe a 28-0 lead less than 2 minutes into the second half.    SOUTH FLORENCE NOTABLES    [player_tooltip player_id='1592462' first='Willie' last='Kennedy'] and [player_tooltip player_id='816736' first='Terry' last='Gordon'] LBs, 2026 - Kennedy and Gordon didn't get to hoist a trophy, but they had a relatively solid games all things considered. Kennedy recovered two fumbles and added 1.5 tackles for loss to go along with seven overall tackles. Gordon had a game-high nine tackles, forced a fumble and also had 1.5 tackles for loss.    [player_tooltip player_id='1615015' first='Warnell' last='Prew'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1820910' first='Jewel' last='Washington'] LBs, 2028 - Saturday's game marked the end for Kennedy and Gordon in South Florence jerseys, but it was also a passing of the torch to Prew and Washington. The two sophomores got all the on-the-job training they could have asked for and finished with a 12 total tackles (eight for Washington). Those two now likely become the centerpieces of the middle of the Bruins' defense for 2026.    [player_tooltip player_id='1166986' first='Messiah' last='Jackson'] QB, 2026 - Jackson will want to forget most of this game, given that he threw three picks in the first 26 minutes of game time. But he also flashed some of his skill set during a hectic 9-minute stretch of the third quarter that briefly gave the Bruins hope. Jackson scored on an 11-yard run to make it 28-7 and then, after the defense spotted Jackson and the offense excellent field position on the ensuing drive, the quarterback found a wide-open Gabe McLaughlin for a 21-yard strike to make it a two-score game.

ORANGEBURG | South Florence wanted a slugfest. South Florence also wasn't ready for South Pointe's willingness to feel right at home in that type of environment.