Fountain Inn rode a heavy ground attack and a decisive fourth-quarter surge to pull away from Catawba Ridge for a 41-24 victory Friday night in the first round of the SCHSL Class 4A playoffs.
In a matchup of contrasting styles, the visiting Fury capitalized on three fourth-quarter turnovers to shatter what had been a tight, back-and-forth battle for three quarters.
Catawba Ridge struck first when Caleb McCree connected with Calvin Rocheleau on an 11-yard touchdown pass midway through the opening period. But Fountain Inn quickly answered with consecutive rushing scores, including a 6-yard touchdown run by CJ Thomas-Anderson, to build a 14-6 lead.
The Copperheads fought back before halftime behind the arm of Will Gambrill. After setting up a scoring opportunity with a long completion to Colten McCauley, Gambrill engineered a drive finished by Boston Halpin’s 2-yard touchdown run. A successful two-point rush by Rocheleau tied the score at 14-14, though Fountain Inn took a 17-14 lead into the locker room following a 31-yard field goal inside the final minute of the half.
Catawba Ridge leveled the game at 17-17 in the third quarter on a 26-yard field goal, keeping the physical contest locked in a stalemate heading into the final period.
Fountain Inn seized control early in the fourth quarter when quarterback Sam Holliday plunged into the end zone from 1 yard out. Moments later, Holliday blew the game open with a 40-yard touchdown pass to Ben Ruwe to extend the lead to 31-17.
Gambrill answered immediately for Catawba Ridge, striking back with a 40-yard touchdown pass of his own to McCauley to slice the deficit to 31-24. However, Fountain Inn’s defense clamped down on the next two possessions, securing back-to-back interceptions. Holliday turned the first takeaway into the night’s dagger, breaking free for a 48-yard rushing touchdown to seal the win.
Fountain Inn advances to face top-seeded Gaffney on the road in the second round on Nov. 13.
Fort Mill 58, Lexington 21
Fort Mill marked its first home postseason appearance since 2014 with a dominant 58-21 victory over Lexington in the first round of the SCHSL Class 5A Upper State playoffs at Bob Jones Stadium. The Yellow Jackets set the tone on the game’s third play when safety Keegan Heisler intercepted a Lexington pass deep in opponent territory, setting up a 15-yard touchdown strike from Harper Love to Nate Gerhart to ignite a 21-point first-quarter surge.
Love delivered a masterpiece in the first half, connecting with four different receivers on touchdown passes. Following a 1-yard Lexington score that briefly tied the game, Love answered with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Broden Mitcheson. Minutes later, defender Mason Burt snagged Fort Mill’s second interception of the night, clearing the way for Mitcheson to punch in a 9-yard rushing touchdown. Love extended the margin in the second quarter with touchdown strikes to Kieran McCormack and Jerrell Douglas to build a commanding 35-7 halftime lead.
The Yellow Jackets refused to let up after the break. Kicker Noah Hardy kicked a 25-yard field goal before Chase Fitzgerald pulled down Fort Mill’s third interception of the game, setting up Mitcheson’s second rushing touchdown on a 12-yard run. Lexington added a pair of late fourth-quarter rushing scores from Easton Crocker, but Fort Mill answered both on the ground via Aiden Ohara, who capped off the night with touchdown runs of 5 yards and 1 yard.
With the win, Fort Mill advances to face top-seeded Dutch Fork on the road next Friday in the second round of the playoffs.
Friday Night Area Scoreboard
- Clover 49, Lancaster 13 (Class 4A Playoffs)
- Indian Land 42, Greenwood 7 (Class 4A Playoffs)
- Spartanburg 35, River Bluff 31 (Class 5A Playoffs)
- Rock Hill 28, Boiling Springs 14 (Class 5A Playoffs)
