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closeSUMTER — Don’t give up big plays, don’t turn the ball over and don’t let the other team’s best player beat us.
Those are the things Rock Hill’s coaches have been telling their defensive players all season. In the first half of its 35-14 loss to Sumter on Friday in its Class AAAA Division I semifinal game, those three didn’t play out.
Sumter running back Roderick McDowell, a Shrine Bowl pick headed to Clemson next year, had 16 carries for 151 yards . Included was a 67-yard touchdown run on his third carry, kicking two ‘don’ts’ out the door.
The third? Rock Hill turned the ball over five times, three fumbles and two interceptions, which Bearcats coach Joe Montgomery said was his team’s downfall.
“We sure picked a bad time to play our worst game of the season,” Montgomery said. “Don’t get me wrong. Sumter has a good team and I think they’ll match up with Byrnes in the state championship next Saturday. But we did everything we could to help them out tonight.”
Sumter struck quickly and often in the first half, building a 26-7 lead with just under two minutes left before the break.
The Gamecocks put up 13 points in the opening quarter. The first touchdown was set up by the game’s first big play, quarterback Stephen Curtis’ 54-yard pass to Travis Fredimon to the Bearcats’ 8. On fourth and goal, Curtis ran in from the 1 for the night’s first TD.
It took the Gamecocks one play to score on their next possession. McDowell took a handoff up the middle, cut to the outside and sped 67 yard for a 13-0 lead.
Rock Hill looked done at that point, but there was still some stirring left to do. The Bearcats cut the lead to 13-7 early in the second quarter on an 86-yard blast to the end zone by quarterback Jatavius Stewart.
“I take a lot of the blame for this loss,” Bearcats senior tight end Asa Watson said. “I felt like I didn’t do my part to help and that I could have played better.
“Considering the last two years when we didn’t do so well, this was a tough loss to take for us seniors. We worked hard and put in the effort. We had a great season.”
It ended at 11-3 for the Bearcats. Sumter moved to 12-2 and plays Byrnes at Clemson next Saturday for the Division I state championship. Byrnes beat Dorman 23-14 on Friday.
Sumter added a 3-yard TD run by Shawn Armstrong in the second quarter and got one from 2 yards out on a keeper by Curtis.
With time running down, Rock Hill sprang a big play and still had a fighting chance after Stewart caught a 71-yard touchdown pass from Randall Dixon. The Bearcats had another shot to dig deeper into the lead with two seconds left.
Sumter was forced to punt and the Bearcats called for a fair catch. No time expired and by the rules, Rock Hill elected to go for a free kick, an uncontested field goal from 50 yards away. Brandon Berger kicked the ball halfway from the beach, but after looking at each other and then at a Sumter player, the officials signaled the kick was wide.
It was a momentum changer for sure, but it would not have mattered much if it had gone through. The Gamecocks added a 25-yard Ross Watson field goal in the third quarter and scored on another big play.
Curtis tossed a short pass to McDowell, who turned it into a 47-yard TD.
Rock Hill missed a chance to score just before that Gamecocks possession, but one of the Bearcats’ five turnovers jumped up and bit them. Dixon hooked up with John Bobo Key for a 41-yard gain to Sumter’s 8, but Key was caught and the ball was punched out of his arms.
It was recovered by the Gamecocks at their 4. They weren’t in the hole long. On first down, McDowell broke free for 33 yards that started the Gamecocks’ final march to the end zone.
“Rock Hill has a good defense, but our mindset tonight was not to let them beat us after we’ve come this far,” McDowell said. “We knew we had to win or go home. It’s been our goal all season to win the state. We jumped ahead tonight and never looked back.”
SUMTER 35, ROCK HILL 14
Rock Hill.....0.....14.....0.....0.....—.....14
Sumter.....13.....13.....9.....0.....—.....35
SCORING SUMMARY
S— Stephen Curtis 1 run (Ross Watson kick)
S — Roderick McDowell 67 run (kick failed)
RH— Jatavius Stewart 86 run (Brandon Berger kick)
S— Shawn Armstrong 86 run (Watson kick)
S— Curtis 2 run (kick failed)
RH— Stewart 71 pass from Randall Dixon (Berger kick)
S— Ross Watson 25 field goal
S— McDowell 47 pass from Curtis (kick failed)
TEAM STATISTICS
.....RHHS.....SHS
First downs.....9.....18
Rushes-yards.....18-116.....61-269
Comp-Att-Int .....9-28-2.....12-17-1
Passing yards.....215....255
Fumbles-lost.....2-2.....4-0
Penalties-yards.....4-36.....5-40
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Rock Hill: Stewart 8-99, Xavier McFadden 1-2, Jerante Hood 8-15. Sumter: McDowell 19-187, Curtis 17-0, Travis Fredimon 1-(-4), Timmy Rogers 1-35, Shawn Armstrong 6-17, Cardell Scarborough 8-23, Romaine Prince 3-1.
PASSING — Rock Hill: Dixon 9-27-2-215, Stewart 0-1-0-0. Sumter: Curtis 12-17-255-1.
RECEIVING — Rock Hill: Stewart 4-101, Asa Watson 1-16, John Bobo Key 1-41, Hood 1-1, Xavier McFadden 2-56. Sumter: Fredimon 3-117, Tyler Smith 3-63, Danniel Duncan 3-23, Drew Marlowe 1-8, McDowell 2-54.
RECORDS — Rock Hill 11-3; Sumter 12-2
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