North Charleston - Two of the state’s top AAAAA teams, from different parts of the state, clashed at Fort Dorchester on Friday night as the Patriots (ranked sixth in AAAAA) hosted the fifth-ranked Gaffney Indians.
Gaffney won last year’s meeting, 35-31, and there was plenty of offense in the rematch. Gaffney quarterback Riley Staton threw for 349 yards and five touchdowns, and sophomore running back Jaiden McDowell rushed for 195 yards and two scores to lead the Indians to a big road win, 48-40.
Forty-five minutes before kickoff the two teams introduced themselves to each other, creating a bunch of in-your-face trash talking. After coaches from both teams separated the teams, they got into a heated shouting match before moving on.
The pregame intensity spilled over into the actual game with plenty of fireworks in the first two quarters, which ended in a 27-27 tie.
Gaffney scored quickly, finding the endzone twice in the first four minutes of the game. Staton threw touchdown passes to McDowell (21 yards) and Jamarcus Smith (45 yards) for an early 14-0 lead.
“We got off to that great start and I thought we were about to put it away but they kept fighting and competing,” Gaffney head coach Dan Jones said. “It was one of those games where nobody quit. Everyone on both teams just kept on competing to the end.”
The Patriots netted negative yardage on their first three possessions but found some mojo late in the first quarter. A five-yard pass from Charles Watson to Ryan Campbell cut Gaffney’s lead to 14-7 with 3:27 left in the quarter.
There would be three more touchdowns in the opening period. Gaffney got a 67-yard touchdown pass from Staton to Smith for a 20-7 lead. But Fort Dorchester quickly answered with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Watson to Jaden Barry with 2:04 remaining.
The Patriots got an interception by Jonathan Howard to set up a 33-yard screen pass for a touchdown to Davian Brown, tying the game at 20.
The Indians answered with an 11-play drive with Staton hitting Emazon Littlejohn on a seven-yard scoring toss, giving Gaffney a 27-20 lead with 8:04 left in the first half.
Late in the half, Fort Dorchester blocked a punt and scored in three plays with Watson connecting with freshman Marquis Muhammad from nine yards out, sending the teams into the break tied at 27.
Staton finished the half with 237 yards passing, completing 17-of-22 attempts. Watson was Fort Dorchester’s biggest producer, throwing for 178 yards and four touchdowns in the first two quarters.
Staton and the Gaffney offense picked up where they left off in the third quarter, driving 79 yards on 14 plays. The drive was capped by an 18-yard run by McDowell to give the Indians a 34-27 lead midway through the period.
Brown’s second long kick return of the night set the Patriots up at the Gaffney 27-yard line. Aided by a pass interference call, the Patriots tied the game on a three-yard run by Watson with 3:52 left in the third.
Gaffney’s second possession of the second half was another impressive drive. The Indians went 80 yards on 13 plays with Staton connecting with Littlejohn on a 22-yard scoring pass, giving Gaffney a 44-37 lead with 11:39 to play in the game.
The game turned seconds later when Gaffney’s King Dowdle intercepted a Watson pass. On Gaffney’s next play, McDowell went 31 yards for a touchdown and the Indians led 48-34 with 10:44 left in the game.
“It was an exciting game,” Jones said. “Anybody that paid to see this game certainly got their money’s worth.”
Gaffney finished the game with 558 total yards. Fort Dorchester’s Watson passed for 213 yards and five touchdowns. Mul-Ty Snider caught five passes for 86 yards and Jalen Barry had five receptions for 85 yards.
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