Bellamy, Loris Defense Make Statement Against Atlantic Collegiate

MYRTLE BEACH | The Loris defense had all week to think about the 58 points it surrendered in last week's loss to North Myrtle Beach.   Friday night, the Lions looked bound and determined to give people something else to talk about.    “We had to get back after last week,” said linebacker Evins Bellamy after the win. “We had to condition more, had to play four quarters this week.”   Loris kept Atlantic Collegiate's offense off the scoreboard and added two defensive touchdowns in a 48-6 victory on Friday evening in the Region VI-3A opener for both teams.    “We gave up way too many points last week,” said head coach Greg Mance. For the defense to play the way they played tonight was light's out.”   The Lions put their running game to work early as Loris drove a short field exclusively on the ground, culminating in a [player_tooltip player_id='1422632' first='Makel' last='Stephens'] one-yard touchdown run. [player_tooltip player_id='2163955' first='Kenny' last='King'] did the honors on the next Loris drive, taking a screen pass 10 yards to give the Lions a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter.    An interception gave Loris possession in Armada territory on its ensuing drive and Ayden Scott put the Lions up 21-0 with a four-yard quarterback keeper.    Loris appeared to be in danger of putting the game out of reach before halftime when [player_tooltip player_id='1850693' first='Garrett' last='Smith'] made a leaping interception the sideline and raced 70 yards to cut the Lions' lead to 21-6 with 3:35 left in the first half.    A rejuvenated Armada defense kept Loris in check into the third quarter and Atlantic Collegiate's offense begin to find success from the Wildcat formation. However, the Armada fumbled at the Lions' five-yard line, squandering its best chance to cut the deficit to one score.    From there, Stephens took over. Loris handed the ball to its best offensive weapon for 11 consecutive plays before Scott connected with [player_tooltip player_id='1816126' first='Antonio' last='James'] on a deep throw down the middle. James caught the pass, stayed on his feet, and scampered to the end zone for a 23-yard score to give the Lions a 28-6 with 8:36 remaining in the game.    After an Atlantic Collegiate three-and-out, Stephens exploded for a 42-yard touchdown run on the next offensive snap for Loris. The Lion defense provided the punctuation as Bellmay (pictured) picked off a pass and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown.    “I just saw the ball,” said Bellamy. “He lobbed it up and I had to go get it.”   On the Armada's next drive, Korbin Bellamy scooped up an errant snap and raced into the end zone to cap the scoring with 3:30 to go.    One week after rushing for a school-record 307 yards, Stephens racked up 193 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. Scott was 6-of-11 for 123 yards and two touchdowns through the air. [player_tooltip player_id='1988035' first='MJ' last='Singleton'] led the Armada with 17 carries for 64 yards.   Defensively, the Lions held Atlantic Collegiate to negative-four rushing yards in the first half and allowed just one successful third-down conversion. After surrendering 35 points in the fourth quarter in last week's loss, Loris outscored the Armada 27-0 over the final nine minutes of play.    “We came out flat last week,” said Bellamy. “We had to get our energy up this week. We did a good job of that, the score shows for itself.”     Loris Notables:   [player_tooltip player_id='1821580' first='Jeffery' last='Williams'] OL/DL, 2027 – The former Atlantic Collegiate lineman helped the Lions make a statement on the ground against his old team. Williams showed both his strength and quickness as he and the Loris offensive line wore down the Armada throughout the night.   [player_tooltip player_id='1816129' first='Donaldson' last='Williams'] LB, 2027 – Arguably the biggest play of the game came when Williams pounced on an Atlantic Collegiate fumble late in the third quarter, which led to a 27-0 Lion run. Williams also was active in the run support as the Lions shut down the Armada rushing attack.   Thomas Nichols DL, 2028 – Atlantic Collegiate struggled to reset the line of scrimmage as Nichols plugged up the middle all night long. The Armada finished with 85 yards rushing, but gained 40 on the game's final drive when Nichols and multiple other starters were out of the game.    Miguel Oakley P, 2027 – Oakley was only called on to punt twice, but his second was a dandy. The senior pinned Atlantic Collegiate back at its own six-yard line in the third quarter. A worse punt would've given the Armada a shorter field that might have resulted in a touchdown instead of a fumble on the doorstep of the goal line.    Patnaude isn't the biggest lineman for the Lions, but he explodes off the ball and has incredibly active hands. The right guard helped pick up multiple defenders in pass protection to keep Scott clean.   In the run game, Patnaude was able to successfully pull and pin Atlantic Collegiate defensive ends on multiple occasions, opening holes on the perimeter for Stephens to exploit.       Atlantic Collegiate Notables:   [player_tooltip player_id='1821585' first='Semaj' last='Wilson'] QB/LB, 2027 – Wilson and the Armada defense kept Stephens corralled in the first half, holding the Loris running back to just 55 yards on the ground. Wilson also provided the best spark of the night for ACA on offense, entering as a Wildcat quarterback in the third quarter to lead the Armada on their most effective drive.    [player_tooltip player_id='1821589' first='Brayden' last='Jeter'] WR, 2028 – Jeter hauled in four passes and was a favorite target in the ACA passing game. A reliable possession receiver, Jeter showed his sure hands on several out routes and held on through contact on multiple occasions.   [player_tooltip player_id='1821579' first='Travis' last='Vattelana'] P, 2027 – Vattelana shook off a poor punt on his first opportunity of the night and bounced back with several lengthy kicks that kept Loris out of good field position throughout the first half.   [player_tooltip player_id='1821588' first='Scotty' last='Campbell'] WR/CB, 2027 – Campbell showed impressive burst in the kick return game, getting to the edge twice against an athletic Loris coverage unit. He broke loose for a 44-yard return in the second half.

MYRTLE BEACH | The Loris defense had all week to think about the 58 points it surrendered in last week's loss to North Myrtle Beach.