By Lonnie Turner
Freshman quarterback Avery McCall threw for 199 yards to lead the Dillon Wildcats to a 43-7 win over the Waccamaw Warriors Friday night, including a 50-yard bomb to senior wide receiver Ezra Lighty on the first play of the second series of the game.
An injury to the regular quarterback Thomas Grossetti last week gave McCall the chance to show the coaching staff what he could do for the Region 8-2A Champions. The 5’11, 163-pounder also showed his running ability with 43 yards on just three carries that included first down runs of 29 and 24 yards.
Tara Grimsley’s kickoff following Lighty’s touchdown pinned the Warriors deep at the 5-yard line that resulted in a safety when running back Travis Pierce was tackled in the Waccamaw end-zone by Jalen Washington for a safety and a 15-0 lead with six minutes left in the first quarter.
The only time that the Wildcats failed to score in the first half was when Jay Johnson lost a fumble after catching a 16-yard pass for McCall at the Waccamaw 5-yard line.
While McCall was filling the air with passes, tailback Anthony Blue was doing what he has done every game since Jabo Lee was injured in Dillon’s opener with Central of Pageland. It was only the first time in nine games that he didn’t rush for over 100 yards, but the junior running back scored four times while carrying the football only six times. He finished the night with 55 yards to run his regular season totals to 1,151 yards and 18 touchdowns. He had touchdown runs of 20, 16, and two for one yard each. The last score of the half, his second one-yard run for a score, was set up when he caught a swing pass from McCall at the Dillon 44 and returned it 55-yards to the Waccamaw one.
Sam McLean fielded a punt in full stride at the midfield stripe and returned it 50 yards for the other touchdown of the half.
Waccamaw didn’t get a first down until midway through the third quarter on a running play by Rob Ferraro, who carried the ball 21 times for 75 yards with most of them coming in the third quarter. With the clock running continuously throughout the second half and the reserve defensive players on the field, the Warriors put together a 45-yard drive that included three rushing first downs and scored on a quarterback sneak by Jordan Moeweler on the first play of the fourth quarter to finally get on the scoreboard. Henry Trotter kicked the extra point through the uprights to cut the Dillon lead to 43-7.
The Wildcat defense held Waccamaw to 89 yards rushing and nine yards passing for a total of 98 yards in offense and five first downs, while the Cats were reeling off 112 on the ground to go with McCall’s 199 through the air and a total of 15 first downs.
In Class 2A Division I, Dillon is the No. 2 seed in the lower state and will get a bye in the opening round this coming Friday. The Wildcats will host the winner of Lake Marion or Garrett in two weeks.
