Rodriguez Edmonds (33) finds the edge of the Indian Land defense. (Photo/Joe Seibles)
FORT MILL (Oct. 29, 2016) – Fairfield Central punted the ball away only twice Friday night, and not until the fourth quarter, as the Griffins plowed a furrow through the Indian Land defense and walloped the Warriors 39-8 in the penultimate 3A Region IV game of the season.
“We did a good job of blocking them up front,” Griffins head coach Demetrius Davis said. “We played good up front. We’re starting to get settled in with some guys, so hopefully we’re at a point now where we can play pretty good football.”
The Griffins’ offensive line paved the way for Tony Ruff’s 117 yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries, while Rodriguez Edmonds was not far off the century mark with 91 yards on seven totes. Edmonds also accounted for a pair of Griffin touchdowns.
Overall, Fairfield Central chewed up 364 yards of Indian Land turf Friday, averaging 10.7 yards per carry.
“We’re going to run the football,” Davis said. “That’s what we do. I feel like teams that play the longest are teams that can run the football and teams that can stop other teams from running the football.”
The Griffin defense, meanwhile, stifled the Warriors’ ground game, holding Indian Land to a meager 89 yards – 3.29 yards per carry.
“If you go back and really look at the year, our defense has played good all year long,” Davis said. “Other than the Blythewood game (a 35-14 loss on Sept. 2) – we gave up an offensive touchdown – other than the Blythewood game, they’ve been playing pretty good.”
Fairfield Central’s offense went to work early Friday, feeding the Warriors a heavy dose of Edmonds who propelled the Griffins’ opening drive from the Fairfield 47 to the Indian Land 31 on four successive carries. Two plays later, quarterback Stanley McManus broke a 27-yard run to the Warriors 2. McManus drove the point home on the next snap, added the PAT, and with 9:01 on the clock the assault was on.
The Griffins had great field position on their next possession. After an Indian Land three-and-out, the Griffins set up shop at their own 41, with Ruff leading the second wave. Rushes of 13, 29 and 9 yards by Ruff set Edmonds up for a 5-yard blast. McManus’ point-after gave the Griffins a 14-0 lead with 5:41 left in the first frame.
Indian Land again failed to convert on their ensuing drive and punted it away to the Griffins’ 36. An incomplete pass and a 15-yard penalty put Fairfield Central in a hole back at their own 21 and facing a second-and-25. But Jamon Jackson delivered a punishing run, crushing his way to the Warriors’ 47 for a first down.
“He’s a grown man back there,” Davis said of Jackson. “He can play.”
Built like a cement truck and typically a blocking back, Jackson had just two carries on the night. But they were good for 33 yards and some severely bruised Warriors.
Following Jackson’s conversion, McManus chucked his longest ball of the night, a 47-yard touchdown torpedo to J.R. Edmonds. McManus tacked on the kick to make it 21-0 with 3:03 to go in the first.
Midway through the second quarter, the Warriors made their first real threat of the night. Drew Melton picked off a McManus pass at the goal line and returned it to the Indian Land 33. They made it as far as the Fairfield Central 24 before the Griffin defense threw Logan Teeter for a sack to force a fourth-and-12. The Warriors took the gamble, but Teeter’s pass fell incomplete and the Griffins took over with 3:48 left in the half.
Just over a minute later, the Griffins were in the end zone again.
On second-and-9 from the Griffin 29, McManus hit Ah’Quil Ross at the Griffin 41. On the next snap, Edmonds broke through the Indian Land front and exploded down the sidelines for a 59-yard score. The point after kick was wide, but Fairfield Central was up 27-0 with 2:43 left in the half.
Ruff added a 13-yard run near the midpoint of the third quarter, capping a 53-yard drive that ate up nearly 4 minutes of clock. Then, with 3:48 left in the third, Antonio Jackson took his first snap as backup quarterback and raced 68 yards into the paint.
The Warriors avoided the shutout when Teeter found Michael Watkins open in the end zone with 15 clicks left on the clock.
The Griffins, now 3-0 in region play and 7-2 overall, look to lock up a top seed in the playoffs next week as they travel to Camden to take on the Bulldogs (2-1, 5-4).
“We’ve still got one to go,” Davis said. “I don’t know what the tie-breaker is, but if Camden beats us it will be a three-way tie because Chester beat them. But we’re not even thinking about that. We’re going to tend to our own business and control our own destiny.”
Chester (2-1, 7-2) was off Friday night. The Cyclones travel to Columbia next week to wrap up their regular season against the Capitals (0-3, 2-7).
FC: 21-6-12-0 – 39
IL: 0-0-0-8 – 8
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
FC – Stanley McManus 2 run (McManus kick). 9:01.
FC – Rodriguez Edmonds 5 run (McManus kick). 5:41.
FC – J.R. Edmonds 47 pass from S. McManus (McManus kick). 3:03.
Second Quarter
FC – R. Edmonds 59 run (kick failed). 2:43.
Third Quarter
FC – Tony Ruff 13 run (kick failed). 6:13.
FC – Antonio Jackson 68 run (kick failed). 3:48.
Fourth Quarter
IL – Michael Watkins 14 pass from Logan Teeter (Dillon Howie run). 0:15.
TEAM STATS
FC IL
First Downs 14 12
Rushes-Yards 34-364 27-89
Passing Yards 70 114
C-A-I 4-8-1 14-30-1
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-1
Penalties-Yards 5-45 2-20
INDIVIDUAL STATS
RUSHING: FC – Rodriguez Edmonds 7-91, Martavious Thompson 1-2, Stanley McManus 6-58, Z. Evans 4-3, Tony Ruff 10-117, Antonio Jackson 3-62, Jamon Jackson 2-33, Jamas Goins 1-(-2). IL – Tyree Sistare 15-39, Dillon Howie 5-50, Logan Teeter 5-(-19), Dominic Pestano 1-0, John Gregory 1-19.
RECEIVING: FC – J.R. Edmonds 2-50, Ah’Quil Ross 1-13, Antonio Jackson 1-7. IL – John Gregory 4-46, Ryan Albino 5-33, Tyree Sistare 2-8, Dillon Howie 1-6, Michael Watkins 2-21.
PASSING: FC – Stanley McManus 4-8, 70 yards, TD, INT. IL – Logan Teeter 14-30, 114 yards, TD, INT.
