CLINTON, S.C. – On Friday night, many eyes around the Palmetto State were focused on Wilder Stadium for a showdown between the Chapman Panthers and Clinton Red Devils, two teams ranked in the top 10 of the South Carolina Prep Media 3A poll. The matchup lived up to the billing and ultimately came down to one last play.
With no time left and trailing by one, Clinton attempted a two-point conversion. Amidst heavy pressure, Red Devil quarterback Shawn Richardson rolled right and threw a pass that was batted down by Panther linebacker Reece Lynch, preserving a 22-21 victory for the eighth-ranked Panthers. “The guards (on the offensive line) pulled,” Lynch explained. “They tried to run a little fake to the outside, but (the quarterback) was about to get sacked in the backfield, so he just threw the ball up and I knocked it down.” Chapman opened the game with a tidy four play drive as Shawn Cunningham caught a screen pass and sprinted 65 yards to pay dirt. Mathai Scott took the direct snap & converted the ensuing two point attempt, staking Chapman to an 8-0 lead less than 90 seconds into the contest. Clinton countered just over two minutes later when Richardson dropped back and hit Kadon Crawford on a 25 yard touchdown pass along with a successful two point try, tying the game at eight. “All week, our practices were hard, and we knew that if we played together, we could win,” said Cunningham. “Coleman’s my guy, so he knows that if he throws it to me, that I’m going to go get it. Our (offensive) line’s the best and nothing could happen without them.” Later in the frame, Dawson Walters knocked down a Red Devil pass on fourth down at the Chapman 16 yard line for a turnover on downs. Three plays later, Chapman quarterback Coleman Gray weaved his way through the defense for a 58 yard touchdown run and a 15-8 Panther lead with 1:39 left in the quarter. The Red Devils reached into the bag of tricks as Crawford caught a pitch from Richardson in the backfield and launched a pass along the far sideline to Keleja Byrd for a 35 yard touchdown, tying the game at 15 with 1:24 left in the third quarter. In the final stanza, a run-heavy approach – along with two big completions to Cunningham – helped the Panthers march methodically downfield, eventually punctuating the drive with a two yard plunge by Gray across the goal line for a 22-15 lead with 9:23 left in regulation. “It’s about having that leader mentality with Shawn, Mathai (Scott) and I on offense,” Gray stated. “The line was pushing forward up front, getting good blocks, runs, and busted out to make big plays. They did a great job.” During the latter stages, Chapman leaned on the running game on another drive deep into Red Devil territory. Facing fourth and goal from the Clinton two yard line, the Panthers rolled the dice but were stopped just shy of the goal line for a turnover on downs with 1:47 to play. For a team known for taking their time on offense, the Red Devils (4-1) moved at a crisp pace and went 99 yards the other way, scoring as the buzzer sounded on a five yard pass from Richardson to Crawford that set up the two point conversion attempt. “I’m just so proud of them with how they continue to get better and better every single week,” exclaimed Chapman head coach Harry Cabaniss. “Coach Watson continues to dial it up and get us better and better every week (defensively). We just continued to bear down… that’s all you can ask for. I thought we grew together as the game went.” “That’s one of the best teams in the state and we’re going to see them down the road. Coach (Corey) Fountain does such a good job with what they do.” Gray completed eight of 17 pass attempts for 150 yards and a touchdown, along with a game-high 17 carries for 177 yards and two scores. Cunningham finished with six receptions for a game-high 136 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Walters and Jaedon Moorman each recorded a pass breakup, with the latter resulting in a Hank Tolleson interception to halt a Red Devil drive. Lynch also notched a fumble recovery for the Panthers. Chapman (4-1) returns to Panther Stadium for a non-region home contest against the Union County Yellow Jackets on Friday, September 22nd, with a scheduled kickoff of 7:30 PM. Comments are closed.
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