Sumter edges Conway in triple-overtime thriller
When stepping to a bully, backing down is not an option.
The past few years, Sumter has been the big man on the block, using its power and speed to beat opponents into submission.
But on Friday night, Conway put its big boy pants on, bringing its best — even if it proved to be in a losing effort.
It took three overtimes to finally settle the score between the two region rivals at “The Backyard,” Sumter’s defense coming up with the decisive stop to send it home with a 38-31 victory over the Tigers.
After a 5-yard touchdown run by running back Da’jon Butts, a Sumter secondary victimized for much of the night by Conway quarterback Peyton Derrick stopped the bleeding, his last four passes of the night being batted to the turf.
“You’d think the type offense we are, and the type offense they are, the overtime would be good for us,” Sumter head coach Mark Barnes said. “… Our defense at the end, we zoned them up from the 10-yard-line, (defensive coordinator Mark Arthur) and our staff did a good job, we zoned them up and won a couple of downs. You give them a third and 10 down there, the field shrinks and you have a better opportunity to play those seam routes they like to throw.”
Both Barnes and Conway head football coach Chuck Jordan expected a war coming into the contest. After the first five minutes, it seemed the Gamecocks would turn this one into a laugher, similar to last year’s win.
On the game’s first play, Derrick was stripped of the football, which was quickly pounced on by Sumter. Though managing to put together a few first downs, the Gamecocks were unable to punch it into the end zone, settling for a Roman Childers 25-yard field goal.
After a three-and-out by Conway on its ensuing possession, Sumter running back Rodney Pitts managed to find pay dirt, his 9-yard run helping stake his team to a 10-0 first quarter advantage.
It’s just a matter of making a good play at the right time. I’ve been in three overtime games, been in a four-overtime one. Anything can happen in those games, and we just came up a little short tonight.
Conway football coach Chuck Jordan
Unlike last year, there was no backing down this group of Tigers. A 12-play, 80-yard drive punctuated by Derrick’s 19-yard scoring toss to Malachi Miller in the second helped Conway get back into the game.
Pitts’ second touchdown run of the game midway through the third again opened up the game for Sumter, re-establishing its 10-point advantage. But Conway quickly seized back momentum, using a 28-yard field goal from Will Smith to pull within 17-10.
Midway through the fourth, Derrick’s elusiveness served him well, the Tigers’ gunslinger breaking free of a few Sumter tacklers to find wide receiver Darren Stanley for a 25-yard touchdown. Smith’s point after touchdown would tie the game at 17-all.
“We shot ourselves in the darn foot early,” Jordan said. “I can’t tell you how frustrating to give them 10 on the front end. But at the same time, we got back in the game, kept scratching and clawing, and tied the game back up.”
The Gamecocks had an opportunity to take the game in regulation, moving the ball inside the Conway red zone. But Childers’ 28-yard field goal sailed wide right, sending the game into overtime.
Sumter took little time to strike first, a Zykiem Jackson 1-yard touchdown plunge staking the Gamecocks to a 24-17 lead. It took a single play for the Tigers to pull back even, though, Derrick lofting a pass into the welcoming arms of wideout Juwon Moody.
The two would connect in the second overtime on a 5-yard touchdown, giving Conway its first lead on the night. It was short-lived, however, Pitts’ third touchdown of the night helping push things to a third overtime period.
Following Butts’ score, the feeling was Derrick could again lead the Tigers to another touchdown, and — at the least — send the game to a fourth overtime. Though the Appalachian State commit threw for 234 yards and four touchdowns on the night, a fifth scoring toss would fall just out of reach.
“It’s just a matter of making a good play at the right time,” Jordan said. “I’ve been in three overtime games, been in a four-overtime one. Anything can happen in those games, and we just came up a little short tonight.”
SUM | 10 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 | — 38 |
Home | 0 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 14 | — 31 |
First quarter
SUM — Roman Childers 25 FG
SUM — Rodney Pitts 9 run (Childers kick)
Second quarter
CON — Malachi Miller 19 pass from Peyton Derrick (Will Smith kick)
Third quarter
SUM — Pitts 50 run (Childers kick)
CON — Smith 28 kick
Fourth quarter
CON — Darren Stanley 25 pass from Derrick (Smith kick)
First overtime
SUM — Zykiem Jackson 1 run (Childers kick)
CON — Juwon Moody 10 pass from Derrick (Smith kick)
Second overtime
CON — Moody 5 pass from Derrick (Smith kick)
SUM — Pitts 1 run (Childers kick)
Third overtime
SUM — Da’jon Butts 5 run (Childers kick)
Individual leaders
Rushing: SUM – Rodney Pitts 27-142, Zykiem Jackson 22-83, Da’jon Butts 1-5; CON – Tyreke Weaver 2-4, Peyton Derrick 10-25, Deandre Huggins 13-25.
Passing: SUM – Jackson 4-9-0-52; CON – Derrick 22-31-1-218, D’Wuan Grainger 1-1-0-17.
Receiving: SUM – Pitts 1-(-3), Donovan Leneau 1-(-1), James Harris 1-12, Jalen Rouse 1-44; CON – Tyreke Weaver 5-18, Rakim Bellamy 3-20, Grainger 3-24, Huggins 3-50, Malachi Miller 2-38, Juwon Moody 3-35, Pooh Brantley 1-2, Darren Stanley 2-31, Derrick 1-17.
Joe L. Hughes II: 843-444-1702, @thejournalist44
This story was originally published October 22, 2016 at 1:04 AM with the headline "Sumter edges Conway in triple-overtime thriller."