Missed tackles, a blocked PAT, and a clank off the upright. May River will have plenty of reasons to kick itself about this one.
The Sharks let numerous opportunities slip away — much like Wade Hampton quarterback Jamian Risher, who scored a pair of rushing touchdowns and iced the game with a long run to seal a 21-20 road win for the Red Devils on Friday in The Tank.
May River’s James Layman started at quarterback in place of Garvin Douglas, who sat out the first half for violating team rules, and the baseball star had some early success in the passing game. After Risher got the Red Devils on the board with a 4-yard touchdown run, Layman led the Sharks down the field to set up Jaiden Jones for a 6-yard TD to tie it at 7.
Layman’s lone mistake was a bullet that deflected off his receiver’s hands and right to Wade Hampton’s Amari McQuire, who sprinted 60 yards for a score to thwart a promising drive and put the Red Devils on top. A long run from Jaeon Allen put the Sharks back in scoring position, though, and Cam Scott’s 2-yard TD run pulled May River even at halftime.
Risher came up with one of his biggest plays of the night coming out of the break, slipping out of several tackles to break free and scamper 77 yards for a go-ahead score. With Garvin back at the helm, the Sharks drove to the Wade Hampton 15 before being stopped on fourth down, but they got it right back on a Red Devil fumble near midfield.
Allen broke another long run to get the Sharks out of a hole after a holding penalty, and Jones barreled in from 6 yards out to seemingly tie it again – but the Red Devils blocked the PAT to preserve a one-point lead. Another forced fumble gave the Sharks a chance to regain the lead, but the drive bogged down and Jonah Comfort’s field goal attempt hit the left upright squarely.
May River’s young defense needed one more stop, but Risher wasn’t having it, fighting for a first down on third-and-2 before slipping away from the pack a play later and making a heads-up play to run out the clock. Rather than walk into the end zone with an easy touchdown, Risher took a knee at the 1 and sent the Red Devils into victory formation to close it out.
May River (2-1) travels to Ridge View next Friday, while Wade Hampton (3-0) plays at Bluffton.
