Fast start, suffocating defense lead Loris to impressive first-round win

Loris may have finished the regular season with a losing record, but a playoff berth offered the team an opportunity to wipe the slate clean.

The Lions didn’t take the rare second chance for granted.

Senior quarterback Ta’Jay Williams had 201 total yards and three touchdowns as Loris cruised to a 21-7 victory over Wade Hampton in the first round of the Class AA-Division I playoffs.

“Coming into this game, people doubted us based on our record. But we had the mindset that [in the playoffs], everyone’s record is 0-0 and it’s a new season,” said Williams, whose team was coming off a 42-20 loss to Marion in the regular season finale. “We stepped up our game. We worked hard in practice all week and came out here and showed what we were working on.”

A difficult regular season schedule and a strong week of practice helped prepare the Lions (5-6) for the contest, said head coach Jamie Snider.

“I’m real proud of these kids right here; being able to get a home playoff win is nice,” Snider said. “The regular season hadn’t really gone the way we wanted but [the playoffs are] a new season. I’m just proud of all these kids for how hard they prepared this week and how they came out and played tonight.”

Loris opened the game strong as it scored on each of its first three possessions.

Williams broke free for a 36-yard touchdown run with about four minutes left in the first quarter to give the Lions a quick 7-0 advantage. In the second quarter, Williams caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Clay Faircloth to put Loris up 14-0.

Williams made his third trip to pay dirt with four minutes left before half, scoring on an 8-yard run to send the Lions into the break up 21-0.

That was all a stout Loris team would need.

“That was really our adrenaline rush. We were ready to play,” Williams said. “We’ve been thinking about this game all week. Some people doubted us and that’s motivation to us. I kind of wish we could’ve kept it going in the second half and kept adding on points, but — in the end — we got a victory and that’s all that matters.”

Said Snider: “Ta’Jay had a great night tonight. I think after the Marion loss, he kind of had a chip on his shoulder. He had a great week of practice and it translated here tonight.”

Williams ended up leading the team in rushing (143 yards) and receiving (38 yards). Backup Clay Faircloth finished as the leading passer, going 6 of 7 for 70 yards and a touchdown.

“We’ve been using both for a while,” Snider said of Williams and Faircloth. “They both stepped in and did a great job.”

Mack McLeod caught one pass for three yards, but his play on defense set the tone on this night. McLeod picked off Wade Hampton quarterback Byron Butts with about three minutes left in the third quarter to halt the Red Devils’ momentum.

Meanwhile, the Loris defense held Wade Hampton to just 189 total yards — 138 passing, 51 rushing.

“Mack does anything we ask,” Snider said. “He’s just a team player and I’m happy for him to have a nice game. … The defense was huge tonight like we needed it to be.”

Drawing a No. 3 seed in the postseason was huge for Loris, which will host No. 8 Lake Marion next week after it took down No. 1 Bishop England.

“In my time at Loris, we’ve never had two home playoff games. This is huge,” Snider said. “I think for these seniors and these kids, after all the ups and downs we’ve had, it’s a credit to them for bouncing back and it’s well-deserved.”

Williams is just hoping to keep the ball rolling.

“All we can do is hope and come out, have another good week in practice and keep doing what we’ve been doing,” he said. “I like having doubters. It gives not just myself, but the whole team motivation. So I’m pretty sure whoever we play next week, they’re still going to doubt us. Whoever we play, they just better come ready. Because we will.”

This story was originally published November 13, 2015 at 11:43 PM with the headline "Fast start, suffocating defense lead Loris to impressive first-round win."