Goliath Stands

Senior Night, the last regular-season home game, started well before kickoff. The seniors walked out with their families, posed with Buzz, and were cheered on by the spirit squad running in, with the cheerleaders cheering on their five seniors before everyone gathered for group photos taken from above. All of those photos are in the pregame section of the gallery below.

Kickoff came at 7:30 with the temperature around 63 and dropping as the night went on. Northwestern (7-1, ranked first in South Carolina Division AAAAA) won the toss and deferred, so Fort Mill received. The opening kickoff was a pooch kick that Northwestern nearly recovered before it rolled out of bounds at the Fort Mill 20-something.

Fort Mill's first drive picked up a first down on a 7-yard slant and a 4-yard run by Broden Mitcheson (#11), but a deep ball to Jerrell Douglas (#2) streaking down the sideline was just overthrown, and a sack and a declined holding penalty forced a punt.

With pressure on the punt and a decent return, Northwestern started around its own 50 and went fast, with runs of 7 and 5 for a first down, a screen or slant that broke a tackle for another, and a drive to the Fort Mill 22. A quarterback keeper, a read play that went out of bounds a yard short of the line, and a run to the left by #5 for the first down set up first and goal from the 5, where the quarterback faked the jet sweep, kept it himself and scored. PAT good, 7-0 Northwestern with 7:40 left in the first.

After a touchback, Fort Mill went three and out, with a 5-yard out to the right and then an overthrow and an incompletion, and punted. Northwestern took over at its own 37 after a fair catch. Kieran McCormack (#18) blew up a first-down screen, but a throw over the middle gained about 30 yards with a penalty coming after the play, so it still counted for a first down. A quarterback draw for another big gain was brought back by a flag, and after offsetting penalties it was first and 10 from the Fort Mill 20. Northwestern converted on a 2-yard gain on third down, reached first and goal at the 10, and the quarterback scored on a keeper to the left. 14-0, 5:23 left.

Greyson Love (#22) brought the kickoff back to the Fort Mill 33. A short completion, a direct snap to Mitcheson for about 5, and another handoff to Mitcheson on third and 2 kept the drive alive, and a big pass down the left seam to Jameson Terrell (#4) gave Fort Mill first and 10 at the Northwestern 25. Douglas (#2) caught the next pass on the right side for a touchdown, with a pass interference flag on the play that was assessed on the kickoff. PAT good, 14-7 with 3:26 left.

Northwestern answered in one play. After a touchback, a pass to #3 went for an 80-yard touchdown, 21-7 with 3:18 to go. Fort Mill's next drive started at its own 25 and stalled when an ineligible receiver downfield wiped out a good pass and a third-and-long scramble ended with a throw just high of Mitcheson, who may have been short anyway. Northwestern started at its own 34, and a holding penalty on first down left it with first and 20 as the quarter ended.

Northwestern turned first and 20 into a first down with a 15-yard quarterback scramble, a quick screen and a speed option to the left that reached the Fort Mill 47. After a missed tackle, a big gain carried the Trojans to the Fort Mill 19. An offside penalty on Fort Mill gave them first and 5, but a touchdown pass was dropped, a holding call followed, and a run to the left on third and 7 gained only about 3. The field goal try on fourth down was wide left, and Fort Mill took over.

The Yellow Jackets strung together a few short gains and first downs, then went for it on fourth and 2 from their own 40, took a timeout, and were stopped on a failed run for a turnover on downs. A quick pass to the right for 6, a false start and a quarterback keeper up the middle put Northwestern back in the end zone, 28-7 with 5:08 left in the half.

A pooch kick put Fort Mill at its own 41, and a drive with two incompletions and a no-gain run ended in another punt. Northwestern started at its own 37 after a return of about 10 and moved with a short pass, a 12-yard pass over the middle on third down, a quick pass to the left for about 5 and another first down before a slant went about 28 yards for a touchdown. 35-7, 2:07 to go in the half.

Fort Mill answered right away. After a kickoff out of bounds put the ball at the Fort Mill 35, Jameson Terrell (#4) caught a 65-yard touchdown pass. The extra point was blocked, 35-13.

The Yellow Jackets nearly got a stop before the break. A Northwestern pass on the first play after the touchback was intercepted, but a pass interference flag brought it back, and Northwestern went three and out. Fort Mill took a timeout with 43 seconds left, and after the punt and a string of penalties, including a hold on Fort Mill and a late hit out of bounds on Northwestern, it had the ball at its own 47 with about 32 seconds to go. A quick screen got a first down, two incompletions left third and 10 from the Northwestern 37, and a sack ended the drive. A last-second field goal try was blocked, and with 2 seconds left a Hail Mary fell incomplete. 35-13 at the half.

Northwestern received the second-half kickoff, took a touchback, and marched down the field on a methodical drive that ended in a 1-yard touchdown run, 42-13. A pooch kick put Fort Mill at its own 41, and a direct snap to Mitcheson gained 2, but nothing came on second or third down and the Yellow Jackets punted again.

Northwestern's quarterback ran to the left for 15 on first down, but the Fort Mill defense got pressure on the next throw, and even with an ineligible receiver downfield, Jerrell Douglas (#2) intercepted it. Fort Mill gained nothing on first down and then picked up decent gains on second and third, but on fourth and 1 the pass was broken up and the Trojans took over on downs.

Northwestern hit a couple of chunk plays, and after a couple of missed tackles a 40-yard screen went for a touchdown, 49-13. Fort Mill faced third and 20 on its next possession and answered with a screen to Jameson Terrell (#4), who took it down the sideline for a touchdown with 17 seconds left in the quarter. 49-20.

After a touchback, a quick pass to the right for 10 got Northwestern moving again, and a few plays later the Trojans were at the Fort Mill 32 with first and 10. Then the drive went backwards, with an intentional grounding penalty and an incomplete pass, and Northwestern punted into the end zone.

Fort Mill took over after the touchback, and a couple of chunk plays moved the Yellow Jackets to the Northwestern 13. On third and 10 they took a timeout with 5:45 left, and the third-down pass fell incomplete. The fourth-down pass fell incomplete too, a turnover on downs that all but ended the game.

Northwestern ran the ball to burn the clock and was over midfield with about two and a half minutes to go, but it did not quite run out the clock and turned the ball over on downs. Fort Mill's final possession ended with an interception as time expired. Final, 49-20.

Northwestern scored a touchdown on each of its first three possessions, led 35-13 at the half, and never slowed down, with its tempo keeping the Fort Mill defense on the field. The Yellow Jackets found their best moments through the air, with Jameson Terrell (#4) scoring on a 65-yard pass and a third-down screen and Jerrell Douglas (#2) catching a touchdown and intercepting a pass in the third quarter.

Northwestern improves to 8-1 and 4-0 in region play. Fort Mill falls to 7-2 overall and 2-2 in the region.