By halftime Friday night at Thomas Heyward Academy, folks were making plans to head to Charleston next weekend. Honestly, though, most of them probably have a standing reservation for the third weekend in November at this point.
The Rebels routed visiting Thomas Sumter Academy 49-9 on Friday, earning a spot in the SCISA 1A state championship game and a shot at a fourth consecutive state crown. THA will face Lee Academy at noon on Nov. 20 at Charleston Southern in a rematch of last year’s title game, which the Rebels won 46-14.
The visiting Generals fired the first shot of the night with a field goal on their opening drive for a 3-0 lead, but eighth-grader Tony Obanner nearly took the ensuing kickoff to the house before being hauled down at the 4. Anthony Fripp punched it in a play later, and the Rebels were off and running.
After a defensive stop, James “Turbo” Townsend took a punt return to the house, and then Tyshon Mansell got going. The Rebels’ third-string quarterback to start the season, Mansell threw touchdown passes in the first half to break it open. Mansell hit Cutter Williams for a score to make it 21-3, before Townsend’s near pick-six set up Obanner’s 1-yard plunge to widen the margin.
Then Cody Parker took his turn in the spotlight, picking off a pass to get the ball back, then taking a quick bubble screen and blazing upfield for a long touchdown. Brandon Howard was on the receiving end of Mansell’s third TD pass, stiff-arming and barreling over tacklers to get to the end zone to make it 42-3 at halftime.
The Rebels emptied the bench with a running clock in the second half, but the defense still came up with another big play, forcing a fumble deep in Generals territory that Brandon Smith pounced on for a touchdown.
Mansell completed 3 of 6 passes for 115 yards with all three completions going for scores. Obanner gained 57 yards on seven carries and scored a touchdown, and Fripp added 28 yards and a TD on five carries before handing it off to freshman Nick Robinson, who racked up 31 yards on seven attempts in the second half.
The Rebels (11-1) will play for a fourth consecutive SCISA 1A title at noon on Nov. 20 at Charleston Southern, again facing Lee Academy for the crown. The Cavaliers beat St. John’s Christian 27-6 in the other semifinal.
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