The South Carolina Sandlappers came into the weekend of the 88th edition of the Nation’s oldest high school football all star game – the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas, looking for their 4th straight victory in the series and their third consecutive since the series resumed after a 2-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With the wealth of talent named to the Sandlapper Roster, it seemed like they were poised to possibly make that happen.
Among the all-stars, most all of which will be playing at the next level, were three locals in Spartanburg Linebacker Cam Smith as well as a pair of Gaffney seniors in Offensive lineman Shedrick Sarratt and Wide Receiver Jamarcus Smith. For Cam, it was an extra special opportunity to finish his career representing both Spartanburg High School and the state of South Carolina on his home field.
“It felt great to stay at home and show everybody how we get down in Spartanburg”, said Smith of the experience this week. “Getting to hang out with the guys and bond, building relationships with guys from all across the state who I normally wouldn’t get to talk to.. It has all been great. I have been showing them the ropes of how we do things here and I even got the MVP, which I did not expect. It is great to play with the best of the best and to compete against them {NC’s best} while showing college coaches I could do it.”
The Sandlapper roster was also laden with some familiar names from across the state such as Westside wideout Chamarryus Bomar, Riverside receiver Mikkel Skinner, Westside defensive back Armoni Weaver, Eastside Linebacker Jaquavious Dodd, and Northwestern Quarterback Finley Polk. Despite that loaded lineup of talent, there was some debate/controversy in the leadup to Saturday’s contest. Eight players opted to forego participation, perhaps most notable among them being Westside QB and USC signee Cutter Woods. For most, the decision to enroll early in college was one that was a no-brainer based on risk assessment. Whatever your sentiments are on the subject, one cannot deny the possibility that the absence of such talent coupled with injuries (which prevented Bomar from being able to play) made a significant difference.
South Carolina has won the game for the last three years because they have had significantly more elite talent on the field. LaNorris Sellers, Turbo Richard, Avery McFadden, Raheim Jeter, Jarvis Green, Brayshawn Littlejohn, Elijah Caldwell.. The list could go on and on. That is not to say that despite the opt outs and injuries, coach Reggie Kennedy (Manning HS) did not still have plenty of kegs in the powder magazine to use. But, still, with the way the game played out, the looming question will remain – “What if?”
The game started off the same way that has become almost a Shrine Bowl trademark. Or a cliche.. Depending on whether you like offensive or defensive football. After the Sandlapper defense forced a three and out on North Carolina’s opening series, South Carolina’s offense put together what would be one of their better drives of the game. Facing a third and 5 from their own 42 yard line, Fairfield Central tailback Ty’Darion Grier got the edge on the near sideline and took off for a 40 yard gain to put the Sandlappers in the red zone, but the drive ultimately stalled at the Tar Heel 11, forcing SC to settle for a 28 yard field goal by James Island’s Grady Dangerfield.
From there, both sides exchanged three and outs until North Carolina finally found a rhythm, marching 62 yards in 14 plays and converting two third downs and one 4th along the way. They scored on the first of 4 rushing touchdowns on a direct snap out of the wildcat by Havelock HS wide receiver Jonathan Williams, who would ultimately be named the Heels’ offensive MVP. The PAT was missed, but that would not end up a factor in the outcome.
Following yet another exchange of punts, South Carolina managed to take the lead one final time thanks to an explosive play. Finley Polk entered the game and immediately made his presence known, connecting via a slant to a wide open Stephen Collier (River Bluff HS) on 2nd and 11 from his own 33 yard line. Collier took off towards the sideline, going virtually unopposed for the 67 yard touchdown to make it 10-6 in favor of the Sandlappers with just under 12 minutes to play in the first half.
One final trade of punts ensued before North Carolina took the lead for good on an explosive play of their own. Jason Willis (RB from Bunker Hill HS) busted through a seam up the middle and sped his way down the field for a 63 yard score. The Tar Heels opted to go for 2, getting it on yet another direct snap to Williams to go up 14-10 with 4:58 to play in the 2nd quarter.
The Heels added on during their final drive of the half, going 77 yards in 7 plays thanks to some critical mistakes by South Carolina on defense. A roughing the passer and a pair of late hits gave the Tar Heels 31 free yards, and they capitalized on the chance, scoring on yet another Williams 2 yard TD scamper to take a 21-10 advantage to the break.
Out of the half, SC got the ball first, but their offensive woes and defensive mistakes continued to make them their own worst enemy. After stalling at midfield, NC caught a huge break on a 4th down try when the Sandlappers’ Dylan Polansky was called for a facemask for ripping off QB Dan Mahan’s (Williams HS) helmet on what would have been a potential momentum-swinging sack for a turnover on downs. Instead, the Tar Heels were able to extend the lead on Williams’ third score of the game, later all but sealing the deal on the Sandlappers’ next miscue.
Havelock High School drove another nail in the coffin when South Carolina’s Aaron Brand Jr (Irmo HS) was picked off by Linebacker Donovan Darden. Brand rolled out and held on to the ball for what felt like an eternity, staring down his target in the process. Darden read it perfectly and went unscathed 52 yards for the score.
However, South Carolina was not quite done fighting. Down 35-10 to start the final frame, Polk connected for what may very well be the highlight of the game for the Sandlappers. He heaved a long ball down the near sideline for Jamarcus Smith with the ball initially tipped by the cornerback. Smith showed amazing concentration to keep tipping the ball on the run until he was able to secure it for the 49 yard touchdown. In spite of that big play, the Tar Heels went on to outscore the Sandlappers 14-7 the rest of the way to cruise to the dominant 49-24 win for their first victory since 2017, upping the overall series record to 44-34-5 – although South Carolina still holds the advantage.
“A lot of these guys are going to the next level, and they’ll fight to the end”, said Coach Kennedy. “In the end, we just made too many mental mistakes early and momentum shifted in the 2nd quarter. I think the speed of the game made a difference in it. But I felt blessed this week with that much talent. It just goes to show how much talent we have in this state. A lot of these guys are superstars on their respective teams. Like big fishes in a small pool. Then you get them all together and we got a bunch of big fishes. The hardest part being a head coach is just trying to put them together as a team and putting them all in a situation to be successful.”
As mentioned earlier, the question of ‘what if’ still looms. Certainly Coach Kennedy was not expecting so many to opt out, alluding to that in his postgame interview. But, regardless of what damage you think may have been done, it is unfair to make that the story of the game, even if it was a factor. Truthfully, the cap must be tipped to North Carolina’s team. They were just as talented and that skill shined against a roster that was still loaded with a lot of South Carolina’s best. Now, with the Shrine Bowl in the books, we close the book on the high school football season and start counting down the days until Week Zero of 2025!
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