Iron Horses charge forward in playoffs, move on to Round Three

The Philip Simmons High School football team’s dream of playing in a state championship is a step closer to reality as the Iron Horses posted a 40-24 victory over Kingstree on Nov. 22 at The Phil in a Class AA playoff game.

 

Meanwhile, Bishop England’s dream season came up six points and 75 seconds short as Gilbert scored late in the Class AAAA playoff game to grab a 36-30 decision over the Bishops at Jack Cantey Stadium. 

 

The second round of the state playoffs had some close encounters and memorable moments as the playoff fields for all five classes were whittled to the Elite Eight as the next round of the playoffs, Friday Night Lights, is slated for Black Friday. 

 

Philip Simmons will hit the road to face perennial powerhouse Manning on Nov. 29, while the Bishops saw their Cinderella season come to an end. They wrapped up their most successful campaign in seven years. 

 

Philip Simmons 40, Kingstree 24 

Kolton Kellermann is making up for missed time. The talented pass-catcher missed four games during the regular season with an injury but has been the Iron Horses’ go-to-guy in the playoffs. 

 

Kellermann had another big effort against Kingstree with five receptions for 100 yards and three touchdowns. That gives him 10 catches for 178 yards and six TDs in two playoff games as the Iron Horses won their eighth consecutive game to improve to 10-2. 

 

The Iron Horse offense gained 315 yards in total offense as quarterback Tavien Orellana had another big game, completing 12 of 19 passing for 218 yards and five TDs, which equaled his school record he set last week, Ashton Kellermann caught four passes for 65 yards and a score while Darriel Porcher caught a 23-yard TD pass. 

 

The Iron Horses will battle Manning, a team that rebounded after losing its season-opener to gain 10 straight wins, including a 28-27 decision over Hampton County in the opening round.

 

Gilbert 36, Bishop England 30 

Bishop England’s quest to reach the third round of the Class AAAA playoffs came up short with the loss to the Indians. 

 

Still, it was a season to remember as the Bishops won their first region title since 2017 and just missed winning 10 games for the first time since 2012, when the Bishops repeated as state champs. 

 

Quarterback Quinn Mahoney totaled 205 yards in total offense, including 102 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Mahoney will return for his senior season. His 103 yards passing against Gilbert pushed his season total to 2,461 yards, which is a school record. He also owns the school record with 23 touchdown passes. 

 

Zachary Balog, who entered the game against Gilbert with 998 yards receiving, became the first BE receiver to top 1,000 yards in a season. 

 

Running back Nate Anderson rushed for 95 yards and scored a touchdown. 

 

Gilbert will travel to face North Augusta for a Lower State semifinal game. The Yellow Jackets own a 10-game winning streak and are 11-1 overall.