Last Friday, I made the trip to Winnsboro, SC to take in a big region match-up featuring two of AAA's top three teams. Fairfield Central came into the week undefeated, making this their biggest home game in recent memory. Having the consensus number one player in the nation for the class of 2011 coming into town certainly doesn't hurt, either.
The game, as a whole, was a very sloppy affair. I didn't keep count, but I'd say there were anywhere between 6-8 fumbles between both teams, with the majority being recovered by the defense. Both teams are going to have to improve throughout the rest of the season if they want to win a state championship.
South Pointe
Jadeveon Clowney, DE (2011)- Clowney didn't have one of his better games, by any stretch, but still made a huge impact, on both sides of the ball. Fairfield Central ran away from him on nearly every play and in passing situations would chip him with left guard and running back if he were to beat the left tackle. This wasn't a game where Clowney had a ton of sacks, in fact I don't recall him having one. Despite that, he still had some of his patented plays in pursuit. Clowney's biggest impact came as a situational B-Back in South Pointe's flexbone offense, finishing with 61 yards on 8 carries and a touchdown. It was boom or bust with Clowney carrying the ball, which is to be expected, considering he hasn't played a lot of running back. Apart from three 15+ yard runs (including the touchdown and another impressive run where he trucked two defenders) Clowney was stopped for short gains and had a fumble in the red zone. But hey, it's not every day you see a 6'6', 250 lb running back, especially at the high school level.
Gerald Dixon, DL (2011)- Dixon like Clowney didn't have his best game. With Fairfield Central running away from Clowney on nearly every play, Dixon saw a lot of action on his side of the field. Fairfield Central did have some success running right at Dixon and most of their 155 rushing yards were to Dixon's side. Dixon did step up when needed, though, and made a big stop on a pivotal 4th and 5 and had a sack that iced the game.
Montay Crockett, ATH (2012)- In a game that didn't have many explosive plays, at least offensively, Crockett provided two huge catches for South Pointe, including pivotal 25 yard touchdown where he beat man coverage on a post route. Crockett might not be as explosive as Neely or Hicklin, but he's consistent and continues to get better every time I see him.
Corey Neely, DB (2012)- Neely wasn't tested a bunch at safety, considering Fairfield Central's receivers only ran go routes and comebacks the entire game. Neely did affect the game with several nice kickoff and punt returns in addition to a big 11 yard run on 4th down on a drive that would result in South Pointe's first of two touchdowns.
Tay Hicklin, ATH (2012)- Hicklin had a rough night from his QB spot, only running for 9 yards on 7 carries and getting ejected in the second quarter for an altercation on the sidelines after a late hit. Under SCHSL rules, if a player is ejected, they must sit out the following game. South Pointe could appeal the suspension, but it would take pretty strong video evidence for that to happen.
Landon Ard, K/P (2011)- Ard showed a strong leg kickoffs, putting them in the endzone with relative ease. He also had nice hangtime on most of his punts, but did shank both a punt and a field goal attempt.
Fairfield Central
Ralph Cooper, LB (2011)- Apart from a fumble recovery and a few tackles, I didn't hear Cooper's name called much at all. Despite already knowing that he straddles the 5'11-6'0 mark, I still thought he looked short for a linebacker from where I was sitting.
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