St. James gets best of Loris in back-and-forth game

Second-year St. James coach Robby Brown knew his squad was better, but he wasn’t sure how much better.

If Friday night’s season-opening 23-20 victory over perennial AA power Loris is any indication, the Sharks could be on their way to one of the best seasons in the long-struggling program’s history.

“Loris is a really good team. It is a big win for the Sharks,” Brown said. “We got better throughout the season last year, but this year coming in the kids believed in the system because they had been in it for a year. We knew we were a better team. I knew we were better just executing, the quarterback understanding everything, and the offensive line. I didn’t know if it would equate to wins this early, but I knew we were a better football team.”

The final turning point came midway through the fourth quarter with the Sharks trailing 20-16. Facing a third-and-3 from the Sharks’ 37-yard line, senior running back Jamarius Faulkner broke through the Loris defensive line with open space in front of him. Faulkner’s helmet was ripped off after five yards, but the senior kept going and was on his way to a big gain before a referee’s whistle stopped the play at the point Faulkner’s helmet came off. The determination of their running back energized fans and the Sharks, who finished the drive with Jay-Mion Pressley’s 23-yard scoring run for the winning points.

“There were several points that momentum (swung),” Brown said. “… That did fire up the kids. There was momentum on both sides, but that was a big play. It is all about momentum and keeping it and rolling with it when you can.”

The Sharks struck early with touchdowns on their first two drives. The first came on Faulkner’s 3-yard burst into the end zone that ended a season-opening seven-play, 57-yard drive. After Loris went three-and-out and then fumbled the snap on the punt, St. James struck on the next play. Quarterback Zach Werba lofted a 21-yard pass to Pressley down the left sideline and suddenly the underdog Sharks were up 13-0.

“They were hitting on all cylinders at the start of the game,” Loris coach Jamie Snider said. “They just had a good game plan coming out.”

The momentum quickly shifted to Loris after that. Facing a third-and-16, senior quarterback Ta’Jay Williams launched a deep ball to senior Desmond Dozier for a 71-yard scoring strike. The Lions marched 77 yards in 11 plays on their next drive as Kendall Goodson put Loris ahead 14-13 with a nifty cutback run to the right pylon.

The Sharks were able to grab the halftime lead at 16-14 when place-kicker Charles Ouverson connected on a 31-yard field goal with seven seconds left in the half.

The second half was much more of a defensive struggle for both offenses with leg cramps hampering both sides. Loris finally broke through with 8:30 left in the fourth quarter. After leaving the game with leg cramps, Williams returned on a fourth-and-goal from the 3 and scored on a dive play to give the Lions a 20-16 lead.

The key for the Sharks was the play of their defensive line and the contributions of two of their biggest assets. On several occasions, the Sharks were able to stuff the run, put pressure on Williams, and keep the Lions’ offense from stringing anything together.

“Aaron Foster and Cole Gallagher did a great job for us inside. They don’t really come off the field except just to get a breath. That is our two big boys inside to help us on both sides of the ball,” Brown said. “… The defense came up awesome. The defensive coaches did a good job getting these kids ready.”

The Sharks were aided by some costly drops by Lions receivers. Multiple times Williams eluded several defenders and found open receivers for what could have been big gains or even scores.

“There were early season things that we didn’t do very well, and they took advantage of,” Snider said. “There is never one play that affects the outcome of the game. It is always five or six plays and sometimes it is the unnoticed plays. And that is usually kind of the truth in football. The drops are just the plays people notice.”

Williams led Loris on the ground with 51 yards rushing and a TD on 18 carries while also throwing for 145 yards and a score. Dozier finished with nine catches for 132 yards and a touchdown.

Pressley led the Sharks’ attack with 74 yards rushing and a score on 14 carries to go with his TD catch.

This story was originally published August 22, 2015 at 12:40 AM with the headline "St. James gets best of Loris in back-and-forth game."