Photo by: Doug Rogers/Special to the Post and Courier

Junior running back Vernon Moree helped the Swamp Foxes clinch the Region 8-AAAA championship last week.

Ashley Ridge won a heated battle with Fort Dorchester Thursday to claim the Region 8-AAAA championship outright.

All the starters for the Swamp Fox offensive backfield were in on multiple scores and the Ashley Ridge defense played like a unit on a mission as the Foxes handed the Patriots a 42-35 loss to complete a clean sweep of the region in the team’s second season competing at the Class AAAA level.

“We came out knowing we had some good guys to deal with, but we also knew if we played up to our potential on both sides of the ball we could beat them,” Swamp Fox defensive back Frankie Heyward said. “We have a good team so we just need to stay focused and learn that when you get down you have to keep your head up.”

The Foxes (8-3, 4-0) outgained the Patriots (7-4, 2-2) 530 yards to 440. The Ashley Ridge ground attack racked up 413 of the Foxes’ yards while the Patriots gained 329 of their yards through the air.

Ashley Ridge running back Vernon Moree rushed for 69 yards and two touchdowns and made three receptions for 94 yards and another pair of TDs. Romelo Doctor carried 27 times for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Swamp Fox QB Jacob Thompson carried 13 times for 165 yards and completed 6 of 11 pass attempts for 117 yards and two TDs.

Many of those yards came after the athletes broke or eluded tackles. Doctor and Moree powered through for extra yards on several plays while Thompson juked through the Patriots D.

“Jacob is sneaky quick,” Ashley Ridge coach Kenny Walker said. “He can cut on a dime and Romelo and Vernon are strong rushers so our offense can be pretty potent. We can also throw it when we need to. We just have a good group of guys who play well together.”

The Swamp Fox defense also had an outstanding night, making seven sacks and 12 tackles for a loss. Senior Kenyon Morrison led the group with 12 tackles, nine of which were unassisted. He was in on three sacks and five tackles for a loss. Lorenzo Baker had nine tackles, including five in the backfield. Khadeem Manning recovered a fumble that led to an Ashley Ridge TD.

“Last week we were timid and didn’t play like that,” Walker said. “I think they needed to prove to themselves what they are capable of doing when they put their mind to it. I was really pleased with our defense. We put a lot of pressure on the quarterback. We got into our zone drops well and our defensive staff had a good plan.”

The Patriots also went fullthrotle. After falling behind by five points in the first half, Fort Dorchester rallied and was in good shape until late in the third quarter.

Not quite halfway through the third, quarterback Ethan Long threw a strike to receiver T.J. Smith and he raced some 60 yards to the end zone for a 22-21 Patriot lead.

After a couple of punts, the Fort seemed to have the Foxes right where they wanted them. On first down, Ryan Chaya tackled Doctor for a loss. On second down, the Patriots had Thompson backed up several yards behind the line of scrimmage and it seemed a sack was inevitable. However, Thompson outmaneuvered the defenders and rushed 56 yards up field to swing momentum back to his team.

A few plays later, Doctor found the end zone from three yards out for a 27-22 Ashley Ridge lead with 11:56 remaining in the final quarter.

The Swamp Fox D held tight on the Fort’s next two possessions while Moree scored on a 46-yard pass and a 26-yard run for a 42-22 lead with only 4:34 remaining.

Ashley Ridge didn’t go into a full prevent defense, but did play cautiously the rest of the game and the athletic Patriot offense took advantage. The Fort covered 144 yards on its final two possessions, both of which ended with a TD. Long completed 11 passes on the two drives, including a three-yard scoring pass to Rodney Gibbs with 2:01 remaining and a four-yard TD pass to Gibbs with 29 seconds remaining.

However, Swamp Fox safety Will Runyon fell on the Fort’s final onside kick and Ashley Ridge then ran out the clock.

Long completed 24 of 44 passing attempts in the game for 329 yards and four TDs. Gibbs had 10 receptions for 107 yards and two TDs while Smith had eight for 147 and a score. Loftland led the Patriot rushers with 60 yards and a TD on six carries.

The Patriots had one sack in the game and six tackles for a loss. Bryce Tapscott led the Pats’ defensive effort, making 14 tackles. Ronald Palmer had 10 including a sack and a tackle in the backfield. Bradley Frasier had the game’s only interception.

The win means Ashley Ridge will open the playoffs at home against Laurens while Fort Dorchester will open at Summerville.

Ashley Ridge        7    14    0    21 – 42

Fort Dorchester    0    16    6    13 –35

A – Vernon Moree 14 run (Dalton Robinson kick)

F – Devron Glenn 11 pass from Ethan Long (Ryan Grainger kick)

A – Romelo Doctor 13 run (Robinson kick)

F – Charles Loftland 55 run (kick blocked)

A – Moree 30 pass from Jacob Thompson (Robinson kick)

F – Grainger 43 field goal

F – T.J. Smith 65 pass from Ethan Long (pass failed)

A – Doctor 4 run (pass failed)

A – Moree 46 pass from Thompson (Seamus McKinney run)

A – Moree 27 run (Robinson kick)

F – Rodney Gibbs 3 pass from Long (Grainger kick)

F – Gibbs 4 pass from Long (run failed)

Contact Roger Lee @ 873-9424 ext. 213 or rlee@journalscene.com

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