Gamecocks win 8th straight, 55-14

By DENNIS BRUNSON
Item Sports Editor
dennisb@theitem.com

The Sumter High School offense had a subpar first half in its varsity football game against Conway High School on Friday at Memorial Stadium. The Gamecocks only scored 41 points.

After two straight weeks of scoring 42 points in the first half, a missed extra point prevented SHS from matching that total for a third consecutive week. It didn’t prevent Sumter from picking up an easy victory, however, as it rolled to a 55-14 victory.

The victory is the Gamecocks’ eighth in a row after starting the season with two losses. The win also improves SHS to 4-0 in Region VI-4A and sets up a showdown with Hartsville for the region crown on Friday at Kelleytown Stadium. Hartsville improved to 4-0 in the region and 9-1 overall with a 27-20 victory over South Florence on Thursday in Florence.

Sumter head coach Paul Sorrells was pleased that his team again came out and took care of business.

“For the last three or four weeks our kids have come out and done what they were supposed to do,” said Sorrells, whose team rolled up 331 yards of total offense in the first half and led 27-0 after one quarter. “What we’ve been stressing to them is to come out and get better from week to week.

“My hat’s off to my guys because they’ve done what they’ve needed to do,” he said. “Our reserves came in and played good as well.”

Sumter was going against a Conway team that was hammered by South Florence 71-21 last week. The Gamecocks picked up where South Florence left off, scoring on its first four possessions of the game.

SHS quarterback Stephen Curtis completed 12 of 22 passes for 186 yards and four touchdowns in the first half. Wide receiver Tyler Smith caught seven passes for 102 yards and two scores, and wide receiver Danneil Duncan had four catches for 68 yards and two TDs.

Sumter ran for 145 yards in the first half with running back Romaine Prince picking up 98 yards on nine carries.

The Gamecocks finished with 461 yards of total offense. Curtis was 13 for 23 for 220 yards and Prince finished with 104 yards on 11 carries.

“We’re really clicking on offense right now,” Sorrells said. “They’ve continued to work and get better at it.”

Sumter wasted little time getting its offense going, driving 76 yard in 10 plays on its first possession. Four plays in a row resulted in first downs, setting up a one-yard scoring run by Curtis. Ross Watson’s extra point made it 7-0 with 9:54 left in the first quarter.

The Gamecocks needed an extra play to go an extra yard on the next drive. A penalty against SHS erased a 33-yard scoring run by Duncan, but a pass interference call against the Tigers on third down kept the drive alive. Prince scored from 24 yards out on the next play to make it 14-0 with 5:59 to go.

Curtis threw a 10-yard TD pass to Duncan to make it 20-0 with 3:33 left. Ethan Epps was the kicker on the ill-fated extra point attempt, leaving the score the same. Curtis connected with Duncan again, this time for 34 yards to make it 27-0 with 55 seconds left in the first quarter.

Conway scored to make it 27-7 before Curtis threw TD passes of 9 and 10 yards to Smith to make the halftime score 41-7.

Jason Dozier scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter and Robert Rooss had a 3-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter for Sumter’s second-half scores.

Conway finished with 200 yards of total offense, but 80 of that came in the fourth quarter. Tiger freshman Mykal Moody rushed for 102 yards, but 39 came in the fourth quarter.

“Our defense again did a good, solid job,” Sorrells said. “We let them have that drive in the first half, but except for that, our defense did a very good job.”

Sumter 55, Conway 14

CON SHS

First downs 13 23

Rushes-yards 41-111 36-231

Passing 89 230

Comp-Att-Int 7-17-1 16-27-1

Fumbles-Lost 0 1-0

Punts 5-29.6 3-45.3

Penalties-Yards 3-35 5-40

Conway 0 7 7 0 - 14

Sumter 27 14 7 7 - 55

First Quarter

S — Curtis 1 run (Watson, kick).

S — Prince 24 run (Watson, kick).

S — Duncan 10 pass from Curtis (kick failed).

S — Duncan 34 pass from Curtis (Watson, kick).

Second Quarter

C — Bellamy 11 pass from Moody (Jenkins, kick).

S — Smith 9 pass from Curtis (Watson, kick).

S — Smith 10 pass from Curtis (Epps, kick).

Third Quarter

S — Dozier 1 run (Watson, kick).

C — Moody 1 run (Jenkins, kick).

Fourth Quarter

S — Ross 3 run (Watson, kick).


Reach Sports Editor Dennis Brunson at dennisb@theitem.com or (803) 774-1241.