S.C. squad falls to N.C. nemesis in Shrine Bowl

Silver Bluff's Cordrea Tankersley makes a tackle at Saturday's Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. Photo courtesy of the Spartanburg Herald-Journal

SPARTANBURG -- North Carolina figured out the best way to stop an aerial assault is to counter with a punishing ground attack.

The Tarheels scored 19 unanswered points in the second half, all rushing touchdowns, to pick up a 26-19 victory against South Carolina in front of 13,654 fans at the 75th Annual Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas on Saturday at Gibbs Stadium. South Carolina now leads the all-time series 41-30-4.

Silver Bluff's Cordrea Tankersley, a Clemson commitment, played defensive back in the game and was credited with five tackles, three unassisted.

North Carolina offensive most valuable player Todd Gurley (Tarboro) scored a pair of touchdowns on runs of 1 and 15 yards out of the Wildcat formation to give the Tarheels a 20-13 lead in the third quarter. The highly recruited running back led the team with 19 carries for 119 yards and two touchdowns.

"We knew we could run it from the beginning of the game," Gurley said. "We just stayed focused and calm in the second half and knew we could do it. It was good to make a statement that we run the Carolinas."

Gurley's second touchdown was set up by a botched fake punt that South Carolina fumbled at its own 43-yard line. Sandlappers coach Chuck Jordan said the play was a turning point in the game.

"That was stupid, and it's on me," he said. "We were not going to run it and decided to right at the end."

Running back Jela Duncan (Mallard Creek) added a 76-yard touchdown run with 12:51 remaining in the game to up the North Carolina advantage to 26-13. Duncan also went over the century mark with seven carries for 112 yards and the score.

The Tarheels outrushed South Carolina 260-40 for the game. Still, the Sandlappers held a 329-285 advantage in total yards.

"We were wearing them down and kept pounding the ball. Eventually, it opened," Duncan said. "(My touchdown) sealed the game basically. It was a big win for us."

North Carolina coach Mark Barnes (Crest) said his team was not going to abandon the run.

"That was our plan the whole time," he said. "We thought we could run the option a little more than we did. But, in the second half they couldn't stop it. There wasn't any reason to do anything else."

South Carolina took a 6-0 lead in the second quarter on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Joey Copeland (Gaffney) to Shaq Roland (Lexington). The score was set up by a 41-yard pass from Copeland to his high school teammate Quinshad Davis. It was the only reception of the day for Davis.

"It got us going," Davis said. "I don't know why we didn't keep coming back to it. It got our momentum going and we started scoring."

The Tarheels quickly answered with a 94-yard return by Jamel Harbison (Mallard Creek) on the ensuing kickoff to tie the game at 6-6 with 8:36 to go in the half.

Copeland and Roland connected again, this time a 25-yard touchdown pass with 39 seconds remaining in the second quarter to give the Sandlappers a 13-6 lead at the break.

Copeland finished 8 of 13 for 169 yards with two touchdowns. Blue Ridge quarterback Caleb Rowe, a Maryland commitment, finished 16 of 26 for 120 yards with an interception.

Roland, the state's Mr. Football and a South Carolina commitment, was named the Sandlappers' offensive MVP with eight catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns. Both Roland (shoulder) and Davis (ankle) missed much of the second half with injuries.

"I think (Quinshad's) catch was real big for us," Roland said. "It got everybody going. After that, I just got a lot of adrenaline going and wanted the ball and made plays. When I made my first catch, I started to get the feel of the game."

"We lost Quinshad and Shaq in the second half, and it kind of put the clamps on us," Jordan said. "Bottom line is if you can run the football, you can win a football game. They ran the ball and we didn't."

Virgil Shell-Smalls (Goose Creek) capped a 20-play, 78-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 26-19 with 5:05 remaining in the game. But North Carolina's Germone Hopper (Phillip O. Berry Academy) returned the ensuing kick to the Sandlappers' 35 and the Tarheels were able to run out the clock.

"It was two different football teams (in the first and second half)," Barnes said. "It's a great win for our 44 players. ...We had some guys make some great plays, and it's a great win for our state."

Michael Grant (Bluffton) was named the South Carolina defensive MVP with nine tackles, four for loss, and two sacks.

Martin Munn (Jordan-Matthews) was named the North Carolina defensive MVP with five tackles with two for loss.

A check in the amount of $1,677,520.11 was presented to the Shiner's Hospital at halftime.