Carolina Forest grounds up Goose Creek to set up showdown with reigning champ Dutch Fork
With a marquee quarterback behind center, the temptation is there for Carolina Forest coach Marc Morris to rely on the passing game and let Mason Garcia throw the ball all over the field.
But that isn’t necessarily the identity of the Panthers this season.
Garcia’s rifle of a right arm was used primarily to hand the ball off to senior running back David Legette, who rushed for 249 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries Friday night, and the Panthers defeated Goose Creek 41-14 in the third round of the Class 5A playoffs at Panthers Field.
“You see what’s going on. That man’s getting us to the end zone and that’s all that matters,” Garcia said of Legette.
Carolina Forest will travel to Irmo next Friday to face three-time defending 5A state champion Dutch Fork in the Class 5A Lower State finals (state semifinals), and will likely need all facets of the game to be producing at a high level.
Dutch Fork defeated Fort Dorchester 48-0 Friday. The Silver Foxes have reached the state championship game in six of the past seven years under 10-year coach Tom Knotts, winning four titles, and last year they didn’t have a playoff game closer than 33 points.
“They’re the reigning state champions until someone beats them, so we’re going to start preparing for them tonight and work on it all weekend and come up with a game plan and let our kids hash it out next week,” Morris said.
Carolina Forest (11-1), whose only loss this season is to reigning Class 4A state champion Myrtle Beach, has reached the state semifinals for the first time.
“It’s just a blessing. I’ve never been here before so I can’t even tell you how I feel right now. So let’s hit the road and let’s try to win this one at Lower State,” Garcia said. “Since my freshman year we started in the weight room. Coach Morris was a brand new coach and all he preached to us was fast and physical, and that’s what you see on the field today. We just continue to do it and beat teams. I’m glad to see where we are.”
In addition to Legette’s big day on the ground, Garcia rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries behind Carolina Forest’s reliable offensive line, and the East Carolina commitment also completed 6 of 12 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown.
“They start with the weight room,” Garcia said of the offensive line. “They go to the field, they’re the hardest workers, fastest workers. They’re always going. No matter what day it is they’re always working, and it showed on the field today.”
Goose Creek (9-3) scored first on a Manny Makuama 24-yard touchdown pass to Damon Mouzon, but it was a Carolina Forest onslaught for the final 18 minutes of the first half, as the Panthers scored 34 unanswered points.
Josh Murphy had a 25-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter, Legette had scoring runs of 1 and 2 yards, Garcia scored on a 10-yard run then hit Trevor Lavallee for a 34-yard TD pass.
Three of the TDs came in the final 3:30 of the half and two came in the final minute, and defense and specials teams helped the Panthers go on the scoring spree.
Connor Meehan intercepted a pass to set up a touchdown, the Panthers recovered a pooch kickoff late in the first half to set up another, and they stopped Goose Creek on fourth down twice in Panthers’ territory. The Panthers added a fumble recovery late in the game.
“Goose Creek has a real explosive team, a real explosive offense, and I can’t say enough how well our defense played in that first half and how the [defensive backs] played really essentially the whole night,” Morris said. “They did a great job for us and really between them and the O-line that’s the main reason we’re advancing.”
Goose Creek linebacker Andrew Allen intercepted a Garcia pass over the middle on the Panthers’ first offensive play of the second half and returned it to the 8, where Makaumu hit Malachi Taylor for an 8-yard touchdown pass to pull the Gators within 20 points.
Carolina Forest went to the ground for its ensuing drive, running the ball on 11 of 13 plays. Though they turned the ball over on downs at the Gators’ 20, the Panthers converted three consecutive third downs and took seven minutes off the clock to protect their big lead.
Garcia threw only two passes following his interception, including one on fourth-and-11 at the Gators’ 20.
“We let our O-line kind of control the line of scrimmage and try to beat that clock down and it was good for us,” Morris said.
Goose Creek picked up a pair of first downs and was moving the ball through the air following the turnover on downs but a sack for a loss of 11 yards by linebacker Luke Janack on third down forced a punt early in the fourth quarter.
A Rayquan Brown 17-yard touchdown run closed out the scoring for Carolina Forest.
Summary
Goose Creek – 7 0 7 0 – 14
Carolina Forest – 7 27 0 7 – 41
First quarter
GC – Damon Mouzon 24 pass from Manny Makuama (kick good)
CF – Josh Murphy 25 pass from Mason Garcia (Cole Poirier kick)
Second quarter
CF – David Legette 1 run (Poirier kick)
CF – Legette 2 run (Poirier kick)
CF – Garcia 10 run (Poirier kick)
CF – Trevor Lavallee 34 pass from Garcia (kick blocked)
Third quarter
GC - Damon Mouzon 8 pass from Makaumu (kick good)
Fourth quarter
CF – Rayquan Brown 17 run (Poirier kick)
Carolina Forest Stat Leaders
Rushing - David Legette 29-249, Mason Garcia 13-134, TD; Rayquan Brown 2-24.
Passing - Garcia 6-12-1–96.
Receiving - Murphy 3-36, Lavallee 1-34.
