Stephens, Loris Make Statement In Season-Opening Win At Conway

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CONWAY |</strong> Loris looked like a team that had been waiting three days to prove that it was still a force to be reckoned with in 2026.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Finally given the chance to make a statement, the Lions capitalized with a 41-0 road shutout over Conway on Monday night.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Friday, we came ready to play and we couldn't because of lightning,” running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422632' first='Makel' last='Stephens']</strong> (pictured) said after the victory. “We had practice over the weekend, everybody was doing what they were supposed to do, and we came in Monday ready to play.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lions and Tigers were slated to open the season Friday before thunderstorms moved the game back to Monday, where another lightning delay pushed kickoff back an additional 20 minutes. After a nearly-72 hour delay, [player_tooltip player_id='1816126' first='Antonio' last='James'] didn't keep Loris waiting long for its first score of the year, taking the opening kickoff back 79 yards for a touchdown to put the Lions up 7-0 just 14 seconds into the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“When I went in the locker room [Friday night] and told them we weren't playing, they were mad,” Loris head coach Greg Mance said. “I mean, they were upset. ‘Can we go to Coastal and play?' No, we're going to play Monday, you get to play two next week. But that's a sign of a good football team. They came down here ready to compete.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422629' first='Roderick' last='Purcha'] </strong>gave Loris its second non-offensive touchdown of the opening minutes when he picked off Conway's first pass of the night and raced 46 yards untouched to give the Lions a 14-0 lead with 10:19 remaining in the first quarter.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conway held the Lions' offense to just 12 yards in the first quarter but could not manage to flip the field. <strong>Ayden Scott </strong>put Loris' offense on the board for the first time in 2026 with a seven-yard touchdown run 30 seconds into the second quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Following an interception deep in Conway territory, Stephens found the end zone from nine yards out to put Loris up 28-0. Conway's final drive of the first half proved to be its best chance at points. The Tigers marched 74 yards before stalling at the five-yard line and missing a 22-yard field goal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stephens picked up where he left off in the second half, breaking loose for a 39-yard run on his first touch of the third quarter before scampering in for a 24-yard touchdown on the next play to push the Lions' lead to 34-0. Stephens led the Lion attack with 123 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries, while adding a 29-yard reception.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“He's a football player,” Mance said of his star running back. The kid's special we've been blessed to have him for three years. He's a coach's dream, he checks all the boxes.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The game featured a running clock in the fourth quarter as <strong>Tristan Hemingway</strong> put the exclamation mark on the Lions' victory with a 25-yard touchdown run with 6:50 left in the contest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In his first game leading the Lions' offense, Scott went 5-of-11 for 87 yards passing without an incompletion after halftime and rushed six times for 26 yards and a score. Conway's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820949' first='Makhai' last='Canty']</strong> was 10-of-19 passing for 75 yards with three interceptions, while <strong>Zymari Wheeler</strong> led the Tigers with 31 yards rushing on nine carries.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With 16 consecutive regular-season wins and a quick turnaround before Friday's game against Green Sea Floyds, Stephens says the plan for the short week is simple.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We watch film,” Stephens said, “grade the plays, come with the same intensity we came with today, and go win the football game.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>LORIS NOTABLES</em></strong>&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823637' first='William' last='Suggs']</strong> K, 2027 – Suggs was busy on extra points but also showed off his leg strength with several booming touchbacks and was able to finesse a few pooch kicks down near the Tiger goal line. He also helped slow down a kick return that looked like a sure touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>OB Clark</strong> WR/DB, 2029 - Clark made an impressive play on the final interception of the night for the Loris secondary, hawking down a deep post and hauling in an over-the-shoulder catch in traffic. Clark also flashed his athleticism in the screen game in the second half on offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>KG Generette</strong> WR/DB, 2028 – Generette's juggling interception off a bobbled pass early in the second quarter helped put the game on ice. He helped the Lion secondary keep Conway's quick passing attack under wraps throughout the night, coming up to close off alleys and keep Tiger wide receivers contained.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821580' first='Jeffery' last='Williams']</strong> OL/DL, 2027 – The Lion captain was a physical force in his first game after transferring in from Atlantic Collegiate. Williams helped keep Scott clean all night from his left tackle position and repeatedly clogged up the interior on defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1881794"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a8d05c115814"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shaw looked the part of a premier linebacker early and often, setting the tone early with two huge hits in the opening quarter as Loris took control of the evening. Although he saw limited reps as the game continued, Shaw was continuously involved in run support to stymie the Tigers as Loris built its lead.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shaw will be needed in a much more extensive capacity as the Lions' season continues, but he looked primed to build on his outstanding freshman season in his sophomore debut.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>CONWAY NOTABLES</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Teron Arrick</strong> RB, 2027 – Arrick provided the biggest explosive play of the night (???) for Conway in the second quarter. After fielding a kickoff at his own five-yard line, Arrick showed great burst as he accelerated through the Lions' coverage for a 44-yard return. If he'd kept his feet with just the kicker to beat, he'd have undoubtedly gone the distance</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1864383' first='Aden' last='Day'] </strong>WR, 2027 – Day looked to be the go-to receiver for Canty throughout the evening. A good-sized possession receiver, Thomas consistently found space on slant patterns and made several nice catches for the Tigers. He also had an impressive open-field tackle on punt coverage.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820941' first='Jameer' last='Davis'] </strong>DB, 2027 – Davis and the Tiger secondary prevented much success through the air for the Loris offense. Davis also stuck his nose in several off tackle runs, finishing with multiple stops and a tackle for loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823562' first='Tyler' last='Fetter']</strong> OL, 2027 – Fetter was routinely matched up against much larger Lion nose guards, but the Tiger center held his own most of the evening. Conway's run game wasn't able to break off many big runs, but Fetter and the offensive line kept the Tigers on schedule in the ground game more and more as the night progressed.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->