With just a game left before the start of region play, Rodney Summers urged his May River Sharks to elevate their play. On a Friday night in the Tank against menacing Class 5A Blythewood, his team rose to the challenge.
Garvin Douglas outran a talented Bengal squad for two touchdowns, and the defense stepped up with a pair of second-half turnovers — including a Naszier Chisolm pick-6 — to lead the Sharks to a massive 24-14 home win.
“We needed this,” Summers said. “We were outmatched against Thomson last week, but we didn’t play well either. This was a huge win tonight.”
It was a textbook start for Douglas and the home offense, taking the ball 63 yards on 12 plays finished off by a 3-yard quarterback burst into the end zone for a 7-0 lead. After the defense forced a Blythewood punt, Douglas went right back to work, speeding down the field for a 27-yard gain to help set up a 22-yard Nathan Dalton field goal.
But the Bengals responded on the next series, as Harrison Collins connected across the middle with Anthony Thurman, who turned on the jets for a 33-yard score. The Sharks pinned Blythewood back at its own 5-yard line with time ticking down in the half, but a beautiful third-down run by Desmond Boatwright ignited a late Bengal drive for the go-ahead score. With just 14 seconds left before the break, Jake Parker reeled in a Collins pass and made a man miss before reaching for the end zone to take a 14-10 halftime advantage.
With the Bengals set to receive the second-half kickoff, Summers urged the defense to step up on the opening drive. On a fourth-and-5 well into May River territory, the Sharks dug in and stuffed Boatwright to snatch away the ball — and the momentum.
“We challenged the defense at the half, we needed guys to get in the right spots,” Summers said. “For us to come out and do what we did in the second half, that’s what we needed from those guys. If we can continue to do that for four quarters, that’s the way we can try to contend for the region.”
The confidence carried over to the offensive side, as Douglas converted a pair of third downs with his legs to move the ball inside the Blythewood 35. The senior quarterback then launched a deep ball down the left sideline, drawing a pass interference call to set up a first down on the 19. The Bengal defense was ready for the run, and quickly shut down three straight plays. But on fourth-and-6, they couldn’t stop Douglas. The speedster came up big again for the Sharks, zooming past a pack of Bengals for a 15-yard touchdown to give May River a 17-14 lead.
Just three plays later, the Sharks found the end zone again. Collins flung a pass towards his receiver on the right sideline, but Chisolm jumped in front and snagged the ball, taking it 25 yards for a touchdown to blow the game open at 24-14.
But the defense’s heroics weren’t done. With the Bengals facing a do-or-die fourth down deep into the fourth quarter on the MRHS 7, a dialed-in line delivered again, denying Alex Myers and halting the late comeback effort. It looked like Blythewood would have one last chance after Douglas coughed up the ball near midfield, but the Sharks forced it out of the Bengals’ hands on the very next play and into the arms of Darrion Perry to finish off the win.
Douglas was unstoppable on the ground for the Sharks, finishing with 150 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Cam Scott ran for 41 yards, and Maxwell Kimmel added 19 yards receiving.
“Hats off to the Sharks tonight, and I’m excited for the guys to come out with a win and go into region play with some momentum,” Summers said.
May River (3-2) kicks off region play at home Friday against James Island.
By Wes Kerr
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