Huskey-Rice combination lead North to 24-7 win in Touchstone Energy Bowl

Huskey-Rice combination lead North to 24-7 win in Touchstone Energy Bowl

Myrtle Beach -- It was two Region 2-AAAAA foes who came together to lift the 

North All-Stars to victory in the 76th Annual Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl on Saturday.

 Boiling Springs High School quarterback Lincoln Huskey connected with Spartanburg wide receiver Justin Rice twice for touchdowns in the North’s 24-7 victory over the South All-Stars at Myrtle Beach High’s Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium.

Huskey and Rice, who was selected as the North Offensive Most Valuable Player, connected for the game’s first touchdown on a 67-yard pass with 1:39 remaining in the first quarter. Daniel placekicker Bruce Brown added the extra point to make it 7-0.



The duo combined again for the second touchdown late in the second quarter. This one went for 21 yards out with 1:56 left in the first half. The drive started at the South 35-yard line after a short punt.

Those weren’t the final scores of the first half, however. In fact, the halftime score was 17-7.

Brown booted a 34-yard field goal with 41 seconds left to make it 17-0. The field goal was set up when Gaffney linebacker Andrew Ruppe intercepted Bamberg-Ehrhardt quarterback Chanston Crosby, returning it 11 yards to the South 24.

The South managed to get on the scoreboard when White Knoll quarterback Landon Sharpe hooked up with River Bluff wide receiver Aaron Griffin for a 74-yard touchdown with Griffin crossing the goal line with just two seconds left. River Bluff placekicker Tripp Bryant added the extra point to make it a 10-point deficit.

The South received the second-half kickoff and drove to a first down at the North 36. The South turned the ball over on downs when Sharpe was sacked for an 11-yard loss by South Pointe defensive lineman Aakil Brown on fourth down and 10 yards to go.

The South put together an 11-play, 84-yard drive at the end of wthe third quarter that ended with no points. North Augusta’s Corey Tillman Jr. fumbled on first and goal from the North 2 with the North recovering.

The final score wouldn’t come until 6:28 was left in the game when Dutch Fork running back Maurice Anderson scored from three yards out. It was set up by an interception of Sharpe by Palmetto defensive back Isaiah Hill with the drive starting at the South 21.

Defense dominated the contest. The South finished with just 198 yards of total offense, and the North wasn’t much better with 229. The North had 60 rushing yards and 169 passing yards to go with just nine first downs. The South managed 14 first downs, passing for 170 yards and 28 rushing yards.

Most of the North’s offense was between Huskey and Rice. Rice had three catches for 130 yards, while Huskey completed 8 of 10 passes for 145 yards.

Ninety Six running back Zayion King was the North’s leading rusher with 38 yards on nine carries. Westside running back Sharode Richardson had a 22-yard catch while rushing for 10 yards on four carries.

Griffin had six catches for 123 yards as well as a 15-yard run to earn Offensive MVP for the South. He also returned three kickoffs for 72 yards. Sharpe completed 11 of 17 passes for 157 yards, while Myrtle Beach wide receiver John Simmons had two catches for 23 yards.

Sumter running back John Peeples was the leading rusher with 22 yards on eight carries. 

Daniel linebacker Spencer Conn was the North Defensive MVP with three tackles. Brown led the North defense with five tackles, four of them being tackles for loss to go with one quarterback sack. Wren defensive back Tyler Morgan also had five tackles.

Strom Thurmond defensive lineman Josh Merriweather had two tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery. J.L. Mann linebacker Wyatt Ward had four tackles and a TFL, and Powdersville defensive back Joshaun Knuckles had a TFL. Ruppe had an interception and three tackles, while Hill had an interception and two tackles.

 James Island defensive lineman Malachi Jefferson was the South Defensive MVP with four tackles and a TFL. Newberry inside linebacker Jared Acosta led the South defense with six tackles. Hampton County outside linebacker Mandrell Sanders had five tackles with a team high two TFLs. South Florence outside linebacker Cameron Coe and Lexington inside linebacker Matt McAuley both had three tackles and a TFL.