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Hash marks and hashtags: Nov. 11

By Stephen Spiewak | Posted 11/12/2016

What do former No. 1 NFL Draft pick Jadeveon Clowney, Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore and Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph have in common?

They all hail from the same small South Carolina city that produces a disproportionate number of future football stars.

Rock Hill, S.C. considers itself “Football City, U.S.A” and with good reason. The city with a population of 70,000 that lives and breathes football was the subject of a feature story in the New York Times earlier this week.

The article details the prominence of football within the culture of the city, something that’s unique to that area of the country.

“Friday night is the most important night in the week [in the South],” said recruiting analyst Tom Lemming. “It’s not like that in the North anymore.”

Lemming said that part of the importance of high school football in Rock Hill has to do with the lack of a professional team in the area. The Carolina Panthers are nearly 30 miles away across the state line.

With the success it’s had producing NFL players, Rock Hill sees many of its young men grow up hoping to play football on Sundays. With greater frequency than most other places, they’ll succeed.

"You can spend six dollars and see these kids every Friday," one local resident told The Sporting News. "Or you can wait a few years and spend $600."

Rock Hill is backing up its reputation on the field this fall. The two top-ranked teams in the state, according to the MaxPreps Computer Rankings, are Northwestern and South Pointe.

Both schools are located in Rock Hill.

Since they’re in different classifications, it’s possible that both could take home state titles later this month.

It certainly would be fitting for Football City, USA.

Anatomy of a game-winning touchdown

Trailing by two points with 15 seconds remaining, Pella (Iowa) needed a small miracle to against Xavier (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) to remain unbeaten and advance to the Class 3A state title game.

Pella had the ball on Xavier’s 48-yard line before quarterback Nick Finney connected with 6-foot-5 receiver Ryan Van Wyk for a first down at the 20-yard line with a mere seven seconds remaining.

This is where Pella head coach Jay McKinstrey’s play-calling enabled Pella to come away with the win.

Rather than spike the ball to buy some time, McKinstrey, Finney and the entire offense were all aligned on what Pella would do.

The team took its time and snapped the ball with three seconds left. Finney dropped back and connected with Van Wyk once more for a 20-yard, game-winning touchdown to give Pella a 34-30 victory.

“Nick gave me a chance,” Van Wyk said afterward. “It was a great ball. I couldn’t be any happier.”

It was a big-time play call, throw and catch. The result? Pella will have a chance to capture its third consecutive state title when it faces Webster City next Friday.

Dramatic touchdown lifts 7on7 national champ

McGill-Toolen is enjoying a season for the ages. It's undefeated and has hardly been tested.

As such, it’s not accustomed to being on the short side of the scoreboard.

However, in last night’s quarterfinal matchup against Enterprise (Ala.), McGill-Toolen fell behind early, trailing 10-7 after the first quarter. It continued to trail late in the fourth quarter, as it looked like the team's dream season could be ending.

With 1:15 left and backed up deep on its own side of the field, McGill-Toolen quarterback Bubba Thompson connected with receiver Larry Rembert for an 85-yard touchdown strike on fourth down to give McGill-Toolen a shocking go-ahead score. McGill-Toolen held on for the 27-23 win.

It was only the second time that McGill-Toolen (12-0) did not win by at least three touchdowns.

It was probably a good test for head coach Caleb Ross and his squad, which has steamrolled opponents nearly the entire season. If it is to win a Class 7A state title, it will need to get through Phenix City Central in the semifinals and possibly Hoover in the title game.

The potential for a magical season was clear in July when McGill-Toolen took home the title in the USA Football 7on7 National Championship. Now, a state title is just two wins away.

Adapting to the dual-threat era

Western Pennsylvania has provided football with many notable quarterbacks, such as Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Jim Kelly and Johnny Unitas.

None of those quarterbacks was particularly fleet of foot and each might be somewhat out of place in today’s Pittsburgh-area high school football scene.

The rise of the dual-threat quarterback in Western Pennsylvania is pronounced.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Terrelle Pryor started the trend in the mid-2000s. Pryor played quarterback at Jeannette (Pa.) and became the first area player to both run and throw for 4,000 yards.

Since Pryor’s success, local coaches have been trying to figure out ways to add the dual-threat element behind center.

“I think coaches have decided that this can be hard to defend. So everyone is trying to find that special athlete who can run and throw,” Neshannock head coach Fred Mozzocio told the Post-Gazette. “The evolution of the game has taken us to this.”

Field envy

And the winner of the most beautiful football stadium in the world goes to Lahainaluna High School, located on the island of Maui.

The school has more than an amazing view. The team has delivered on the field this year, posting a 7-4 record, with a Division II state semifinal showdown against Konawaena set for Saturday.

Hail Mary + lateral = miracle

It appeared as if McKeesport (Pa.) was facing certain defeat when quarterback Jayvaun Shears tossed a desperation heave to Layton Jordan that seemed like it would come up just short. Jordan ran into a wall of Gateway (Monroeville, Pa.) tacklers at the 5-yard line and was struggling to continue forward progress.

Before the play was blown dead, Jordan saw teammate J.J. Harper sprinting toward him. Jordan tossed Harper the ball, and Harper ran five yards into the end zone for an improbable game-winning score.

For Jordan, the play happened so quickly.

“I went out there and caught it. I opened my eyes when I was under the pile and I saw my man. He said ‘Here' and I just flicked it to him. It was a great, great, great feeling,” Jordan said afterward, unable to hold back tears of joy.

It was a gutsy play call by McKeesport head coach Matt Miller, whose team runs the triple option and had attempted just one pass previously in the game.

“Somebody's shining down on us,” Miller told the Tribune-Review afterward. “That had to be some kind of divine intervention to make that happen.”

Miller is in his first year as McKeesport’s head coach, taking over for the legendary George Smith, who won 226 games during a career that spanned three decades.

With a 9-2 record thus far, Miller is enjoying an impressive debut season.

 

TagsCoach High School Tackle football Two-Minute Offense 7 on 7 football
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