South County stomps T.C. Williams 35-13

Relentless rain postponed seven Northern Virginia football games Friday. But South County Secondary officials decided that the school’s game against T.C. Williams would still be played.

For 48 soggy minutes, players from both teams struggled to gain traction on South County’s Bermuda grass field. In the end, first-year head coach Gerry Pannoni's Stallions earned their first win of the season, defeating T.C. Williams 35-13.

Failure to establish the running game and three lost fumbles contributed heavily to the Titans’ defeat. With the loss, T.C. Williams falls to 1-3 on the season. Their last win came on September 1, a 51-7 victory over Wakefield.

With dismal field conditions, both teams relied heavily on the ground game all evening. T.C. Williams got on the scoreboard first on a one-yard touchdown run, which capped a seven play, 30-yard drive.

The Titans would also add a 27-yard field goal from kicker Manuel Benites to give the team a 10-0 lead.

South County finally answered with a touchdown of their own, which came courtesy of a 38-yard strike from quarterback Shane Foley to tight end Jeremy Haynes. The touchdown cut T.C. Williams’ lead to 3 as South County trailed 10-7.

Benites added another three points to T.C. Williams’ first half total, this time booting one in from 39 yards to put the Titans up 13-7. However, those three points would be T.C. Williams last for the rest of the evening.

In the waning minutes of the second quarter, South County’s Peter Basnight scored from one-yard out with 26 seconds remaining in the first half. The Stallions led 14-13 at halftime.

Nursing a one-point lead, South County continued to keep the ball on the ground and away from the T.C. Williams offense in the game’s final half. The Titans’ running game, which struggled to earn positive yardage for most of the first half, did not fare much better in the second. South County scored again in the third quarter from one-yard out on a Foley quarterback keeper. A successful extra-point attempt gave South County a 21-13 lead.

The Stallions scored twice more in the fourth quarter, both on offensive and defensive touchdowns by Timmy Hunt. Hunt’s first fourth quarter score came on an eight-yard scamper. His second on a fumble recovery (forced by Nick Hicks) that he returned 39 yards for a touchdown. As time expired on the clock, South County’s 35-13 lead would hold.

Up Next: South County hosts Robinson on Friday, September 30.

South County Stats:

First Downs: 14

Carries/Yards/TD: 43/176/3

Passes Att/Comp/Int: 13/10/0

Passing Yards: 118

Total Offensive Plays/Yards: 56/294

Time of Possession: 24:05

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