York continues its impressive run with a shutout of Class 5A Fort Mill
York makes no secrets about its region and the top-to-bottom power found across the standings. Cougars head coach Dean Boyd jokingly referred to Region 3-4A as the “SEC North” on WRHI radio this week.
York prepared for the gauntlet of region play by scheduling four Class 5A schools in the first five weeks of the season, finishing with a trip to Fort Mill’s Bob Jones Stadium.
Boyd’s Cougars arguably saved the best for last, pitching a 41-0 shutout Friday night over Fort Mill in collecting their third win against a 5A opponent in four tries this season.
“Shutouts are tough to come by. Victories are hard to come by,” Boyd said after the game. “Getting a shutout is big. We preach it all the time. We haven’t had one in a while. To get that goose egg, that’s big for our team. I’m proud of our effort tonight.”
York (4-1) snagged an interception for its first defensive highlight on the first Fort Mill drive of the contest, but it couldn’t capitalize and had to punt.
Ayden Davis connected with Michael McConnell to put the first points on the board. McConnell hauled in a jump pass from Davis, then rumbled 28 yards down the right sideline and into the end zone to put York ahead 7-0 with 3:05 to play in the first. York added two more second-quarter touchdowns, with Davis plunging in from a yard out with 8:05 remaining and Triston Barnett cashing in a 10-yard reverse for a score with 30 seconds to go before the half.
The second half started with a frenetic sequence.
Fort Mill (0-5) dropped in a perfect onside kick and recovered it, only to be whistled for an offsides penalty. The Yellow Jackets again tried a kickoff, but the ball sailed out of bounds and resulted in another penalty.
York then forced Fort Mill to rekick from 5 yards further back, which led to a low line drive kick that Javarus Guthrie pulled in on the run at the 22. Guthrie knifed his way through traffic and went 78 yards mostly untouched to pay dirt to push the Cougar advantage to 28-0 just nine seconds into the third period.
Guthrie tallied his second score of the night on a 13-yard jaunt nearly seven minutes later. Two fourth-quarter field goals from Zane Beardsly accounted for the final score.
As effective as the Cougar offense was on the night — Davis was pulled in the third quarter with the game having largely been decided — the York defense set the tone. Fort Mill played without its starting quarterback, Isaiah Haynes, and the Yellow Jackets threw several different formations at the Cougars to try to make something happen on offense. York proved inflexible nearly all night, limiting Fort Mill to just a handful of big offensive plays.
“We were really happy with our defense. They run that option attack and we don’t (normally) see it,” Boyd said. “We had to practice that all week long to make sure everybody had their responsibilities. They got us early a few times. No matter what you do, you can’t mimic it in practice. I think once our guys really settled down and started understanding, we got it. I was really proud of their effort.”
The effort couldn’t have come at a better time for the Cougars. York begins Region 3-4A play with a home contest against Indian Land next Friday at 7:30, while Fort Mill travels to Blythewood to kick off the Region 3-5A slate.
Boyd offered a clear assessment of his team and its region as the push for the playoffs looms.
“Everyone in the region is ranked but us. We’re the guy at the bottom of the totem pole, and probably rightfully so,” Boyd said. “We’ve got Indian Land (next), which is an outstanding football team. We’re gonna have our hands full. We’re gonna have to play above our heads and hope they make some mistakes. We’ve gotta clean up a lot of stuff.
“It’s a bloodbath every Friday night in this region. For the next five weeks, it ought to be real fun.”
Box score: York 41, Fort Mill 0
York 7-14-14-6 — 41
Fort Mill 0-0-0-0 — 0
First quarter
Y: Michael McConnell 28 pass from Ayden Davis (Zane Beardsly kick)
Second quarter
Y: Davis 1 run (Beardsly kick) 8:42
Y: Triston Barnett 10 run (Beardsly kick) :30.6
Third quarter
Y: Javarus Guthrie 78 kickoff return (Beardsly kick) 11:51
Y: Guthrie 13 run (Beardsly kick) 4:53
Fourth quarter
Y: Beardsly 27 field goal 8:07
Y: Beardsly 30 field goal 4:08
