South defeats North 28-8 at Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl

Thomas Grant December 9, 2023 @ 03:22 PM

MYRTLE BEACH | Past visits to Doug Shaw Stadium for Hartsville seniors quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='208342' first='McKendrie' last='Douglas'] and running back [player_tooltip player_id='208339' first='Carmello' last='McDaniel'] ended in disappointment.   On Saturday, the duo made sure their high school careers did not end with another loss on the homefield of archrival Myrtle Beach.   Douglas and McDaniel accounted for all three offensive touchdowns scored by the South in the 28-8 victory over the North at the 76th annual Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl.   “A lot of preparation, honesty, chemistry and holding each other accountable which made us have a great outcome,” said McDaniel, who was the South Offensive MVP with 82 rushing yards. “That's my best friend, so we got it done.”   The North scored on its opening drive with a 26-yard touchdown pass from South Pointe quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='771038' first='Malachi' last='Marshall'] to North Offensive MVP [player_tooltip player_id='1142457' first='Mikel' last='McClellan'] of JL Mann. McDaniel answered for the South on the next series by taking the handoff, turning upfield and sprinting down the South sidelines for a 64-yard touchdown.   The PAT by [player_tooltip player_id='1142880' first='Chase' last='Cline'] of Chapin gave the South a 7-6 lead. North placekicker [player_tooltip player_id='346194' first='Jack' last='Stevens'] of North Augusta had hit the right upright on his PAT attempt following the McClellen touchdown.   The South defense kept the North offense off the scoreboard the rest of the way. Richland Northeast safety [player_tooltip player_id='208886' first='Myles' last='Pratt'] collected the first of three South interceptions in the second quarter to stop a potential scoring drive.   The North still reclaimed the lead in the second quarter. Cline's punt attempt was blocked in the endzone, and the ball knocked out of bounds for a safety.   Irmo safety and University of South Carolina preferred walk-on [player_tooltip player_id='1142508' first='Isaiah' last='McClary'] singlehandedly halted the South's next two series. His first interception stopped the North as it reached the South 21-yard line.   McClary's second interception came as Marshall fired a long pass out of the endzone. It was returned to the South 31 where Douglas completed a 15-yard pass to Ashley Ridge's Derrick Staley.   A facemask penalty moved the football to the seven-yard line where Douglas found Hampton County's [player_tooltip player_id='239076' first='Zion' last='Dobson'] in the endzone with 31 seconds left before halftime.   The South continued its momentum into the second half. It took the opening drive 71 yards on 12 plays capped by a 7-yard touchdown run by Douglas to extend the lead to 21-8.   Irmo running back [player_tooltip player_id='267430' first='Jaden' last='Allen-Hendrix'] extended the drive with a Herculean 25-yard run in which he bounced and spun off numerous tacklers running downfield.   The Midlands' defensive line got into the scoring act to open the fourth quarter. As Dreher lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1142585' first='Charles' last='Jeffcoat'] brought down Chapman quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='998700' first='Coleman' last='Gray'], he knocked loose the football.   Dutch Fork's [player_tooltip player_id='1142746' first='Dakota' last='Jordan'] made the recovery and returned the football 25 yards for the touchdown and the game's final score.   The North finished with 138 total yards and were held to its lowest point total at the Bowl since 2012 when it was shut out 23-0.   “A little history of the North beating up on the South, so we wanted to be the team to make the difference” said McClary, who was named the South Defensive MVP and will graduate from Irmo this Friday.