Laurence Manning reaches SCISA AAAA title game with 48-21 win over Porter-Gaud

Manning – Turnovers on its first two possessions put Porter-Gaud in an early hole on Friday, and Laurence Manning Academy made sure there was no way the Cyclones could get out of it.

         P-G turned the football over inside its 40-yard line the first two times it touched it, the Swampcats turned both of them into touchdowns and rolled to a 48-21 win in the SCISA AAAA football playoffs semifinal game at Joey Chitwood Field.

         “It was a ton of momentum,” LMA head coach Will Furse said of the early turnovers. “Guys were flying to the football, doing their jobs, trying to be aggressive. It paid off for us.

“When the balls bounce on the ground, you're fortunate to recover those. Guys were being where they were supposed to be, making plays when they had the opportunity.”

         The victory sends LMA to the championship game for the second straight season where it will once again face 6-time defending state champion Hammond. The game is scheduled for Friday at Charleston Southern University’s Buccaneer Field in North Charleston beginning at 7:30 p.m.

         “We always believe the more you get there, the more you knock on the door, one day it will open for you,” Furse said. “You're not going to win one unless you get there. We're excited to be there.”

         Laurence Manning, which will take a 10-2 record into the championship game, received the opening kickoff. Porter-Gaud forced it to punt and took over at its 31. On first down, quarterback Nolen Shuman tried to pitch to star running back JJ Fludd. The ball hit the ground and Swampcats cornerback Jackson Brunson gathered up the loose ball and returned it three yards to the 16.

         LMA wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as quarterback Tyler June connected with Brunson on the first play for the score. Placekicker Mills Lee made it 7-0 by adding the extra point with 8:10 left in the first quarter.

Tt was huge,” June said of the early turnovers. “Our defense was clutch for us, putting us on their 20. From there, nobody is really going to stop us when we are in the red zone. We started off the game really well.”

         On the Cyclones’ next possession, Noah Tanner stepped in front of Shuman pass at the P-G 36 for an interception. After a 6-yard run by running back Ian Harris, June lofted a pass toward the goal line on which wide receiver Josiah Burson made a terrific one-handed catch for a first down at the 4. Brunson scored on a 3-yard shovel pass two plays later. The kick was blocked, leaving the score at 13-0 with 5:22 still left in the first quarter.

         “They were kind of unsolicited errors,” said Cyclones head coach Brad Bowles. “We did it on our own. They didn't do anything to get them. We just dropped the ball and threw a pick. We had two other turnovers (another lost fumble and an interception) that were the same way. We gave them an edge.

         Porter-Gaud, which finished 9-3, did gain some momentum on its ensuing possession. The Cyclones put together a 14-play, 68-yard drive that ended with a 7-yard TD pass from Shuman to wide receiver Grayer Hyatt. The extra point by placekicker James Ball made it 13-7 with 11:16 left in the second quarter.

         Laurence Manning didn’t allow P-G to maintain that momentum, however, by responding with a 76-yard scoring drive. The big plays were a pass to Harris in the flat that he turned into 30-yard gain and a 21-yard completion to tight end Drew Ferriell for a first down at the Porter-Gaud 11. Brunson scored his third touchdown on a 4-yard run to make it 20-7 with 6:45 remaining in the first half.

         The Cyclones, trying to keep up, decided to go for a first down on fourth down and three yards to go from their 48. Fludd, who came into the game averaging just under 200 rushing yards a contest, was only able to get two.

The Swampcats took over at midfield and June connected with Burson for a 45-yard gain and a first down at the P-G 4. Harris scored on the next play and Lee added the extra point to make it 27-7 with 1:07 left in the first half.

June had a tremendous night, completing 18 of 19 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns. LMA took advantage of the shovel passes where June throws it about five inches forward to a receiver running by in motion as well as throwing it down the field.

“Whether it's 55 yards down the field or whether its five inches, whatever's scoring," June said. “it doesn't matter to me. I just want to win this thing."

Burson had three catches for 83 yards.

         That was the score at halftime. Porter-Gaud received the second-half kickoff, but like in the first half, it turned the ball over on its first offensive play. LMA linebacker Jeremiah Burson deflected a pitch from Shuman on an option with Brunson recovering at the Cyclones 28. Laurence Manning scored on a 5-yard shovel pass from June to Thomas Sumpter to make it 34-7 with 10:04 still remaining in the third quarter.

         “ Coach Furse had a good defensive game plan for us, and we’d  been working on it all week.,” Brunson said. “We know we can do anything on defense right now. We just played really well.”

         That score, for all intents and purposes, put the game away. The Swampcats pushed the lead to 41-7 on a 12-yard run by June toward the end of the third quarter. Their other score came on a shovel pass from backup quarterback Grainger Powell to wide receiver Zylen Dennis that went for 19 yards in the fourth quarter.

         P-G got two touchdowns in the final quarter, one on a 3-yard run by Tony Brown and the other on a 45-yard pass from Shuman to Hyatt. Porter-Gaud finished with 300 yards of total offense, but 126 of it came in the fourth quarter.

Fludd was held to 49 yards on 17 carries, while Hartley Bickerstaff had 47 yards on 11 carries. Shuman completed 12 of 16 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns against two picks.

         “I'm really proud of the effort they had,” Furse said. “That's a really good offensive football team. They're scoring at a very high level, so to be able to play against a team like that it takes a group effort “

           LMA only had 78 rushing yards with Harris gaining 30 on eight carries. However, he had five catches for 80 yards.

         “I just told him I'd get open,” Harris said. “If he gets a rush, toss it to me and I'll get some yards out of it,."