What We Saw: Lower Richland Hosts A 6-Team Scrimmage

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>HOPKINS |</strong> It took all of about two plays Monday evening to see why Hammond linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1603691' first='Jackson' last='Ross'] had several Power Four offers before committing to South Carolina a couple of weeks ago.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ross bolted around the right end and got into the face of Lugoff-Elgin quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1823858' first='Zach' last='Williams'] in a situational scrimmage where the quarterbacks were in non-contact jerseys. It was like that most of the night in the six-team scrimmage held at Lower Richland.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Each team played three 20-minute periods and there was plenty of starting offense against starting defense type scenarios. The Skyhawks face the Demons, Fox Creek and what might have been the marquee matchup against defending Class A champion Bamberg-Ehrhardt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both defenses dominated in the Skyhawks and Red Raiders matchup without anyone scoring. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ross, defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='1550897' first='Hugh' last='Manning'] and freshman linebacker/running back [player_tooltip player_id='1816478' first='Toona' last='Washington'] all had impressive outings against the three public school teams. Ross was almost unblockable at times, playing in the opposing backfield as much as the running back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We're still in early August mode and we have some mistakes we need to clean up but this was an opportunity to get reps against quality competition and play fast in game-like situations,” Ross said. “We're not there yet but we showed flashes of how good we can be.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Manning and Washington both had moments and were forces on a Skyhawk defense that was missing [player_tooltip player_id='763831' first='John' last='Stokes'] a senior defensive lineman.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Washington was impressive in several ways. He was hard to block and when given spot duty out of the backfield ran through and over several defenders. He is going to be the next highly touted prospect that will come out of Hammond.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1817784' first='Joel' last='Starks'] was also injured and unable to play but transfer [player_tooltip player_id='1819199' first='Davin' last='Brown'] had a solid showing from the center spot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bamberg-Ehrhardt showed why they're once again a favorite in the expanded Class A classification with 18 starters returning.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1822457' first='Brian' last='McMillan'] dazzled at quarterback and safety and looks poised to have a huge senior season. Delaware commitment receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1214316' first='Ant' last='Williams'] made several acrobatic catches, including a couple of back shoulder catches and a jump ball in the end zone against Midland Valley.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1822459' first='Simeon' last='Bamberg'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1819953' first='Pierre' last='Fuller'] more than held their own in the trenches.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lugoff-Elgin opened up against Hammond and [player_tooltip player_id='1603854' first='Eric' last='Richardson'] showed why he's already committed to Coastal Carolina. He won several one-on-one battles to catch contested passes. He also came down with a jump ball situation in the end zone for a score.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Demons also used transfer running back [player_tooltip player_id='1036740' first='Tiyon' last='Fanning'] running off tackle as well as catching passes out of the backfield. Receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1610229' first='Keenen' last='Cunningham'] made his presence felt on both sides of the ball with several catches and a couple of passes defended.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1817112' first='Isaiah' last='Littlejohn'] and junior [player_tooltip player_id='1817087' first='Malakhi' last='Cantey'] played on the left side of the offensive line and several of the more successful running plays were behind that duo.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Midland Valley used three different quarterbacks that included [player_tooltip player_id='1821362' first='Logan' last='Harmon'] in the first period and starter [player_tooltip player_id='644030' first='Xavier' last='Geter'] in the final period. But receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1010338' first='Cameron' last='Gleaton'] was the star of the show.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He showed early and often that defensive backs had trouble covering him. He caught everything thrown in his direction including a jump ball TD on a pass from Geter. He also had a big gainer on a ball from Harmon that split two defenders.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The host Diamond Hornets had maybe the most talked about player at the scrimmage. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1817639' first='Raymond' last='McLaughlin'] is around 6-foot-6 and stands tall in the pocket. The junior throws a nice deep ball and is going to be a weapon as he gets more comfortable playing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Running back [player_tooltip player_id='1823910' first='Michale' last='Moss'] showed flashes and ran well behind his line for a couple of 10-yard gains. Up front, Jory Taylor played well in making running lanes and protecting McLaughlin.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fox Creek was missing five starters, including [player_tooltip player_id='1824044' first='Bryson' last='Crawford'] and played with a lineup of predominantly freshman and sophomores. Jace Wright was one of the freshmen and he came away with a huge interception in the final period against Lower Richland.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->