Bishops and Iron Horses bounced from gridiron playoffs
The old axiom in football is “defense wins championships.”
If that’s the case, the teams that faced – and defeated – Philip Simmons and Bishop England in the first round of the High School League football playoffs should be in good shape.
Whale Branch was impressive on both sides of the ball, especially on defense as the Warriors traveled to Philip Simmons from Beaufort and posted a 36-10 victory in the Class AA playoffs. Lake City was just as tough in its Class AAA playoff game, posting a 14-7 victory over the home-standing Bishops.
It was the first week of the playoffs – and last for the Daniel Island schools. The playoffs will conclude the weekend of Dec. 7-8 with the Weekend of Champions, which will be contested in Columbia.
Lake City 14, Bishop England 7
Lake City took a 7-0 first-quarter lead and expanded the cushion to 14-0 after three quarters. The Bishops finally got on the scoreboard with 11:46 left in the game when Quarterback Cam Costa completed a 12-yard TD pass to Shane Snyder to cap a 72-yard drive. The Bishops managed only 168 yards in total offense for the game.
The Bishops’ running game never got on track as they carried 19 times for a total of minus 4 yards. Michael Long was limited to 3 yards on 13 carries. He finished the season with a team-best 916 yards rushing and eight TDs.Long and Sullivan Clair led the Bishops with eight touchdowns apiece.
Costa was under pressure all night and completed only 19 of 46 for 149 yards. He completed 147 of 272 for the season resulting in 1,834 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Whale Branch 36, Philip Simmons 10
Whale Branch had little trouble early as they spoiled the Iron Horses’ debut in the state playoffs. The Iron Horses fell behind 14-0 at the end of the first quarter and trailed 21-3 at the end of the first half.
Whale Branch upped its record to 7-4 and will host Oceanside Collegiate in Round 2 on Friday. Last year, Whale Branch bounced Oceanside Collegiate from the playoffs.
Philip Simmons finished with the best record in the program’s two-year varsity history. The team won three games on the field, and the other victory came when Oceanside Collegiate had to forfeit four conference games for using an ineligible player.
The Iron Horses had trouble all night moving the ball, as the Warriors held their opponents to only 90 yards in total offense. Luther Smalls accounted for the only Iron Horse touchdown, returning a kickoff 81 yards to score.
Quarterback Tripp Williams, who was banged up most of the year, completed 1 of 11 passes for 6 yards, and the running game was just as anemic.
Running back Solly Bess was totally shut down after ripping Burke for a career high 193 yards rushing the weekend before. He carried 10 times for a net of 4 yards. His longest run of the night was for 7 yards. His nine other carries resulted in minus 3 yards rushing. Peyton Woolridge led the team with 61 yards on four carries.
Junior Will Ramey was a force for the PSHS defense. He logged 19 tackles, including 10 solo stops.