They battled all the way to the final whistle, but the Colleton Prep War Hawks’ comeback bid came up just short.
Despite a trio of Drew Murdaugh touchdowns in the fourth quarter, Jamari Harris and the Thomas Sumter Academy Generals held off a phenomenal effort from the visiting War Hawks for a 28-21 first-round playoff win Friday to advance to the SCISA 1A semifinals.
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After a defensive struggle in the opening half, Harris broke the stalemate with an 8-yard pass to junior wideout Gatlin Kimbro for a 7-0 halftime lead. The duo connected again in the third quarter, hooking up for a 24-yard touchdown before Harris took it himself to the end zone from six yards out to go up 21-0.
But it just took two dazzling Murdaugh throws to get the War Hawks right back in the game. The senior quarterback came alive in the fourth quarter, finding Caden Crosby for a 60-yard score and hitting Caleb Davis for 35 yards just three minutes later to make it a seven-point game.
But Harris struck back for the Generals, firing a 29-yard pass to Matthew Hawkins for a 28-14 lead with five minutes to play. Murdaugh responded quickly on a 15-yard touchdown scamper with 3:34 to go, but Thomas Sumter iced away the clock to seal the 28-21 win.
Thomas Sumter (6-5) earns a trip to Thomas Heyward (10-1) on Friday in a SCISA 1A semifinal matchup. Colleton Prep concludes its season with a mark of 4-7.
By Wes Kerr
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