Published Tuesday, November 29, 2011 1:12 PM
Updated Tuesday, November 29, 2011 1:18 PM

 

Swamp Foxes fall in state semi-finals

The Eagles came out of the locker room at the half Friday determined to not let the Swamp Foxes prevent them from making their second consecutive trip to the Class II-AAAA championship.

Greenwood (13-1) turned in an impressive second-half performance to earn a 36-21 victory over Ashley Ridge (10-4) in a semi-final playoff game. The Swamp Foxes were eliminated with the loss while the Eagles advance to face Goose Creek Saturday at Clemson in the title game.

“We made a game of it for a half but we didn’t have enough horses to stay in it a little longer,” Ashley Ridge coach Kenny Walker said. “We knew going in that was going to be a problem. I told the guys to walk out of here with their head up because they have nothing to be ashamed of. I’m proud of the way they worked. They fought until the end.”

After Ashley Ridge allowed Greenwood to drive 56 yards and score on its first possession, the Swamp Foxes played well the rest of the opening half.

Ashley Ridge answered the Eagle score with a 75-yard drive capped by a leaping 40-yard touchdown catch by halfback Vernon Moree, who carried 13 times for 77 yards and made 11 receptions for 104 yards in the game.

The teams again swapped TDs in the second quarter for a 14-14 score entering the third quarter. The Swamp Fox score came on an 80-yard drive in the final two minutes. Key plays included a hook and lateral pass caught by Seamus McKinney and pitched to Moree for a first down and a 25-yard reception by Moree, who capped the drive with a three-yard TD run. McKinney finished the game with 51 receiving yards on six catches.

The Swamp Foxes may have taken a three-point lead into the third had a 41-yard field goal attempt by Dalton Robinson not sailed just inches right of the goal post.

The Eagles started to really flex their defensive muscle in the third quarter and Ashley Ridge was without running back Romelo Doctor for the entire second half due to a leg injury he sustained on the team’s final drive of the second quarter.

Greenwood held Ashley Ridge to a total of 2 yards on the Swamp Foxes’ first three possessions of the half while the Eagles scored on their first three possessions. Those Greenwood drives covered 48 yards, 68 yards and 52 yards.

Ashley Ridge cut into the lead with 7:39 remaining in the game with a 36-yard pass to sophomore Donavan Thompson that capped another 80-yard drive. However, the onside kick wasn’t successful.

The Swamp Fox defense recovered a fumble to give its team another scoring opportunity, but a long drive stalled at the Greenwood 13. With Ashley Ridge being forced to go predominantly with an air attack, the Eagles’ defenders were able to pin their ears back and put a lot of pressure on Swamp Fox QB Jacob Thompson.

Greenwood sacked Thompson three times inside the final 90 seconds of the game. They also got to the QB five other times in the game, but only one of those sacks came in the first half.

Ashley Ridge had 338 yards of total offense, 126 of which came on the ground. Greenwood used its bevy of talented offensive backs to rack up 341 rushing yards. The Eagles also had 102 yards through the air.

Defensive highlights for the Swamp Foxes included a fourth-and-one stop at their own 31 on the Eagles’ second drive of the game, the stop of a fake-field goal attempt by the Eagles on Greenwood’s third possession that also turned the ball over to the Swamp Foxes on downs and a fumble recovery on a punt by linebacker Brandon Hughes.

While the Swamp Foxes fell short of being able to play in their first state championship game, they finish the season as the Region 8-AAAA champion and as the last Dorchester Two team left standing in this year’s playoffs.

“We had a great season and it’s certainly something to build on for the future,” Walker said. “We have a long way to go to get our program where we want it to be, but this season we took big steps to obtaining that goal. I want to thank the coaches and players for all the time and effort they put into this season.”

 

Greenwood        7    7    14    8–36

Ashley Ridge        7    7    0     7–21

G-Jackson Miles 1 run (Matt McManis kick)

AR-Vernon Moree 40 pass from Jacob Thompson (Dalton Robinson kick)

G-Devante Parks 3 run (McManis kick)

AR-Moree 3 run (Robinson kick)

G-Kevon Harrison 20 run (McManis kick)

G-David Davis 5 run (McManis kick)

G-Lorenzo Mathis 1 run (Parks run)

AR-Donavan Thompson 36 pass from J.Thompson (Robinson kick)

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