Socastee turns ‘Battle of 707’ into one-sided shellacking of rival St. James
Doug Illing wanted to see how his Socastee team handled adversity after taking it on the chin a week earlier at North Myrtle Beach.
Apparently, these Braves know how to bounce back.
Socastee turned the “Battle of 707” into a mismatch on Friday night, taking rival St. James behind the woodshed for a 65-14 win.
“I was really proud of our group,” Illing said. “We challenged them this week in practice, wanting them to bounce back and to be more physical and aggressive. The kids responded, they had a good week of preparation, came out and played well.”
Quarterback Hunter Illing completed 11 of his 16 passes on the night for 271 yards and four touchdowns. He added another touchdown on the ground.
Illing wasn’t the only Socastee standout to play a starring role on Friday night.
Running back Nick Carnucci — playing against his former team — rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to a 21-yard catch and run for another score. Wideout Devin Stamp also had two touchdown receptions.
Obviously unhappy with the result, St. James head man Joey Price said things will continue to be the same until the athletic program further invests in a weight room.
“They just wore us out, plain and simple,” he said. “These kids have been beat down the whole time they’ve been here. Until we get a weight room in place, nothing is going to change.”
Turning point
After a St. James touchdown cut its lead to 15-7, Socastee quickly responded with a five-play, 66-yard drive capped by a 22-yard catch and run by wide receiver Kenney Solomon for a touchdown.
Key performers
Hunter Illing, Socastee: Had 271 yards passing and four touchdowns, along with 51 more yards on the ground and another trip to the end zone.
Nick Carnucci, Socastee: Had 112 yards and two touchdowns, along with a 21-yard touchdown reception.
Devin Stamp, Socastee: Caught six passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns.
By the numbers
16
Hunter Illing has now thrown for 16 touchdown passes this season.
26.3
Average yards per catch for Socastee wideout Devin Stamp
35
Socastee scored the game’s final 35 points.
They said it
“Down to your third guy really, and (Carnucci) really stepped up. I’m really proud of him for carrying the load and staying focused. It says a lot about our kids and the work they are doing.” — Socastee football coach Doug Illing
“They just wore us out, plain and simple. These kids have been beat down the whole time they’ve been here. Until we get a weight room in place, nothing is going to change.” — St. James football coach Joey Price
“We didn’t win tonight, we won this past week in practice. We won this season during the offseason, in the weight room grinding.” — Socastee quarterback Hunter Illing
Up next
St. James (2-4): vs. Marlboro County
Socastee (4-1): at Carolina Forest
STJ | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | 14 |
SOC | 22 | 15 | 21 | 7 | — | 65 |
First quarter
SOC — Hunter Illing 53 pass to Devin Stamp (conversion good)
SOC — Nick Carnucci 2 run (Preston Carter kick)
STJ — Jacob Tyler 26 pass to Ames Fowble (Riley Parker kick)
SOC — Illing 22 pass to Kenney Solomon (Carter kick)
Second quarter
SOC — Illing 9 run (Carter kick)
STJ — Chris Anderson 6 run (Parker kick)
SOC — Illing 21 pass to Carnucci (conversion good)
Third quarter
SOC — Illing 20 pass to Stamp (Carter kick)
SOC — Carnucci 5 run (Carter kick)
SOC — Kenney Solomon 69 punt return (Carter kick)
Fourth quarter
SOC — Christian Inman 1 run (Carter kick)
Individual leaders
Rushing: STJ — Chris Anderson 13-68, TD. SOC — Nick Carnucci 18-112, 2 TD; Hunter Illing 8-51, TD.
Passing: STJ — Jacob Tyler 3-7-1, 54 yards, TD. SOC — Illing 11-16-0, 271 yards, 4 TD.
Receiving: STJ — Ames Fowble 1-26, TD; Anderson 1-28. SOC — Devin Stamp 6-158, 2 TD; Carson Stout 2-44.
Joe L. Hughes II: 843-444-1702, @thejournalist44
This story was originally published September 22, 2017 at 11:51 PM with the headline "Socastee turns ‘Battle of 707’ into one-sided shellacking of rival St. James."