Lions Change Up Defense, Still Fall 37-20 as Wildcats Advance

By Lonnie Turner

In the second meeting of the season between Dillon and Loris, there were some big changes on the defensive side of the line for the Lions in an effort to slow down the passing game of Avery McCall. The junior offensive leader set a new single game record in the first meeting earlier this season with 315 yards, but Friday night was a different story.

The plan for fourth year head coach Jamie Snider worked to near perfection against the pass, but transfer student Jamison Chapman rushed for 150 yards to lead the Cats to a 37-20 win and the 22nd straight since losing to Marlboro County in 2013. The 5’9, 174 pound junior running back rushed for two touchdowns and set up his first of the game with a 35-yard run to open the second half to take a 21-0 lead.

McCall threw only 14 times, completing nine for 68 yards, and threw only his second interception of the year. The junior signal caller switched to his running game and put two touchdowns on the board with runs of 21 and one yards to take a 14-0 lead into the intermission. He finished with 79 yards on the ground on 11 carries.

“I knew it would be a tougher game this week,” explained Dillon Head coach Jackie Hayes, who won his 263rd game at Dillon for a 0.840 winning percentage (263-50) since taking over the team in 1992. “Coach Snider made adjustments since our first meeting and went to a 3-3 stack and double covered our outside receivers.”

Eri’Reon Hayes, who had a record breaking first game, was held to four receptions for nine net yards.

Ta’Jay Williams, after being held to seven net yards through the air in the first half, bounced back in the second to complete nine passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns. His first touchdown pass was a 27-yarder to Marquel Bellamy to complete a 65 yard drive on seven snaps of the ball to cut the lead to 21-7.

But the Wildcats came right back with a long drive of their own, using up much of the clock by running 10 plays, all but one on the ground. McCall’s only pass attempt in the drive was to Hayes and fell incomplete. Chapman’s number was called and he went in to score from 13 yards out. Drew Covington, who hit five of five kicking attempts for points after touchdowns, gave the Cats a 28-7 lead with three minutes left in the third quarter.

Punter Randal Davis backed the Lions all the way back to their 5-yard line to start the fourth period with a 30-yard kick, and on first down, with Lions QB Williams working out of the end zone, a holding penalty was whistled and Dillon was awarded a safety to give the Cats a 30-7 lead.

Loris free kicked following the safety and on the second play on offense, the Cats lost a fumble setting up a Loris 50-yard scoring drive that ended with an 8-yard scoring toss to tight end Siegfried Long.

That set up an on-side kick that the Loris fans won’t soon forget. The football travelled the necessary 10 yards for recovery, but a member of the kicking team caught the football in the air depriving the receiving team the opportunity to catch the ball. Loris was whistled for illegal touching the ball and resulted in placing the ball at the Loris 38. On four plays, Chapman was back in the end zone for the Cats with a 3-yard run.

With time running out, Loris scored the final touchdown on a quarterback sneak by reserve QB Clay Faircloth, who had to enter the game when Williams suffered a leg injury on a 9-yard run to give the Lions a first down with just a little over two minutes remaining in the game.

Offensively, the Wildcats put 363 yards in the books, with 295 on the ground and the defense, even though giving up 138 yards through the air, held the Lions to 260 total yards.

The Wildcats will take another trip to the state title game coming up this Friday at River Bluff High School in Lexington. The stadium is located just off Interstate 20 at the Lexington exit. It will be the second meeting for the Cats and Newberry. Newberry won in 1998 and the Cats took the win in the second meeting in 2000.

The Newberry Bulldogs are 11-2 overall heading into the state championship game. They entered the upper state bracket as the third seeded team and defeated Indian Land 52-10 in the first round and Woodruff 42-28 in the second.

The Bulldogs upset Fairfield-Central 16-3 in the upper state championship to advance. Omar Sims lead the rushing attack with 111 yards on 21 carries. Xizabian Sims Boyd scored on a 20-yard touchdown and Kalil Sheppard scored on an 11-yard run.

Photos by Johnnie Daniels/THE DILLON HERALD. Click the images below to view at full size!