Rebels fall in final seconds to Wolverines

A SEASON ENDS: Strom Thurmond’s Malcolm Watkins kneels down on the field after his team lost to Woodruff 41-34 on Friday. Staff photo by Noah Feit.

WOODRUFF -- Strom Thurmond's season came down to one play. It was third-and-6 from Woodruff's 36-yard line with 22 seconds remaining in the Class AA, Division I Upper State Championship Game, a contest the Rebels trailed by seven points.

Senior quarterback Raleigh Yeldell, a North-South All-Star Game selection, took the snap and looked left before rolling to his right. All game long, and throughout the season for that matter, Yeldell has stepped up and made big play after big play for Strom Thurmond. In this instance, Yeldell couldn't escape the grasp of fellow North-South selection Caleb Smith, as the 6-foot-4, 280-pound defensive end brought Yeldell down. The sack not only left Yeldell writhing in pain with an injury to his right leg, it also allowed the clock to run out on the game and the Rebels' undefeated season.

Strom Thurmond's first and only loss of the season turned out to be its last. The Rebels came up just short in a wild, back-and-forth game, losing 41-34.

"It came down to the very last play. It was that close all the way," Woodruff coach Brian Lane said with relief. "We knew if we could get a sack once they used their last time out, the ball game was over. But my hat's off to Strom Thurmond; it's an excellent ball club. This game lived up to the buildup."

There was a good deal of hype surrounding the contest, because it pit the top two seeds in the Upper State portion of the playoff bracket. The game got an extra boost because it featured two teams that both had 12-0 records coming into the contest played at W.L. Varner Stadium. Both rosters are littered with players that have been selected to play in postseason all-star games and have college scholarships.

Early on, it looked like Strom Thurmond (12-1) was going to run away with another victory. Fewer than 7 minutes into the game, the Rebels had a 14-3 lead. Even though they were without injured athlete Darius Hammond, the Rebels used two strong kick returns to set up early scores.

After a Wolverines (13-0) field goal, Jauveer Hammond returned the ensuing kickoff 67 yards, and three plays later, Yeldell scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. Strom Thurmond had another short field after a punt return left it 47 yards from the end zone. Four plays later, senior running back Malcolm Watkins blasted his way for a 10-yard touchdown run.

On the verge of big trouble, Woodruff struck back, and quickly. Senior quarterback Ryan Perkins only needed 39 seconds and three plays to reduce the deficit to single digits. As part of his spectacular night, Perkins hit receiver Blake Bone with a 37-yard touchdown pass. Perkins finished the game completing 35 of 52 passes for 404 yards and three touchdowns, while Bone had a dozen catches for 170 yards and the score, which swung momentum back in the Wolverines favor.

On the next series, Yeldell led the Rebels back into Woodruff territory but had the drive halt when he was picked off. Perkins marched the Wolverines down the field on a 13-play, 78-yard drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Mason Sanders. That play gave Woodruff the lead, and it added to it quickly.

On the ensuing kickoff, Ty Brooks tried to give the Rebels another big return, but in an effort to break a tackle the ball was stripped, and the Wolverines recovered at the 14-yard line. On the next play, Perkins hit running back Shun Tribble with a 14-yard scoring pass, the first of three touchdowns in the game for Tribble. Woodruff was up by 13 points when it got another field goal, which had the Rebels reeling.

"We self destructed on a few plays, and that made a big difference," said Strom Thurmond coach Lee Sawyer. "When we gave up that score and another on the kickoff (fumble), it was a big swing."

Rather then succumb to the biggest challenge it faced all season, against the best team it played, Strom Thurmond responded with a score before halftime that reduced its deficit and showed that this game would be won, not lost.

On fourth-and-inches, Yeldell scored his second rushing touchdown. He broke free from the pack at the line of scrimmage and raced 38 yards for a touchdown.

He started the second half with a six-play drive that took slightly more than 2 minutes and ended with a touchdown pass to Brooks that knotted the score at 27-all. After the Wolverines responded with a go-ahead touchdown, Yeldell led another drive that finished with him throwing a touchdown pass, this time to Marquez Mathis. Yeldell finished the game 20-of-31 for 185 yards and two touchdown passes to go along with 42 yards rushing and two more scores.

"He's meant the world to this program," Sawyer said of Yeldell. "He's a good leader and has made a ton of plays."

Neither Yeldell nor Perkins could muster another scoring drive for the remainder of the third quarter and most of the fourth. Strom Thurmond's defense made some big plays, including a spectacular deflection-turned-interception by Aaron Cook and a tackle by Shaq Dobbs on fourth-and-short for Woodruff.

But the Wolverines made some clutch stops of their own, and got the ball back to their offense at Strom Thurmond's 42 with 3:15 to play. After being torched by Perkins in the first half, the Rebels made adjustments to slow the passing game down. They did again on the final drive. Unfortunately, they couldn't corral Tribble. He had four carries for 35 yards on the drive, including a 5-yard touchdown run that proved to be the decisive score.

"It hit me in the fourth quarter, this could be my last game," the senior said. "I got the ball in space (on the scoring run). I know they don't miss many tackles, but luckily I was able to shake away, my receivers were blocking and I was able to score."

The Rebels got the ball back with 1:01 to play. Yeldell marched them 29 yards before the final play. He was tended to by the trainers as fans poured onto the field to celebrate the Wolverines berth in next Friday's state title game against Timberland. Strom Thurmond can only imagine what if as its dream season came up just short of a return trip to the title tilt for the first time since 2005.

"It was a heck of a football game. It's why we do this," Sawyer reflected after the loss. "It's a big disappointment, but I'm proud of these guys for getting to this round. We've got a lot of people returning, so it's bright for next year. Overall, I couldn't be more proud."

Game summary

Scoring statistics

ST 14 6 14 0 - 34

WD 10 17 7 7 - 41

First Quarter

WD - Taylor Green 19 Field Goal. 8:57.

ST - Raleigh Yeldell 1 run. (Trent Miller kick) 7:54.

ST - Malcolm Watkins 10 run. (Miller kick) 5:21.

WD - Ryan Perkins 37 pass to Blake Bone (Green kick). 4:42.

Second Quarter

WD - Perkins 7 pass to Mason Sanders (Green kick) 9:30.

WD - Perkins 14 pass to Shun Tribble (Green kick) 9:11.

WD-Green 32 Field Goal 5:15.

ST - Yeldell 38 run (Miller kick blocked) 2:42.

Third Quarter

ST - Yelldell 16 pass Ty Brooks (Miller kick) 9:38.

WD - Tribble 1 run (Green kick) 7:49.

ST - Yeldell 13 pass to Marquez Mathis (Miller kick) 3:09.

Fourth Quarter

WD - Tribble 5 run (Green kick) 1:01.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING

ST-Malcolm Watkins 13-101-1 TD, Raleigh Yeldell 11-42-2 TDs, James McKie 3-(-2). Totals 27-141-3TDs.

WD-Shun Tribble 17-63-2 TDs, Ryan Perkins 4-5, Cyd Wedman 1-7. 22-75-2 TDs.

PASSING

ST-Yeldell 20-31-185-2 TDs-1 INT.

WD-Perkins 35-52-404-3 TDs-1 INT.

RECEIVING

ST-Marquez Mathis 8-72-1 TD, Ty Brooks 5-54-1 TD, Watkins 6-57, Shaq Dobbs 1-2.

WD-Blake Bone 12-170-1 TD, Tribble 8-48-1 TD, Cyd Wedman 7-103, Mason Sanders 4-34-1 TD, Christian Simmons 2-26, Stacey McMahan 2-13.

INTERCEPTIONS

ST-Aaron Cook 1-0.

WD-DJ Jones 1-0.