Stallions set to take
on South Brunswick

By DAN BISER

Although his team has generally encountered little difficulty in defeating South Brunswick during his tenure as South Columbus High football coach, Joey Price is still wary of playing the Cougars as a homecoming opponent.

It was 11 years ago when Price was an assistant under Jack Holley at South Columbus that South Brunswick showed up and spoiled the Stallion homecoming with a 12-8 victory. That game was played in a steady rain and the Cougars got the winning points on a long pass play.

“That’s a game we shouldn’t have lost, but South Brunswick played hard and came away with it,” said Price, referring to the 1995 loss.

That game marks the last time that the Stallions were beaten at their homecoming and also the last time that they lost a Waccamaw Conference contest on their Civitan Stadium playing surface.

“We have to be ready,” Price said. “Homecoming is always a different type week for the whole school. There’s also the fact that South Brunswick is coming off two straight losses.”

South Columbus took a 27-12 road victory over Pender last Friday to put its conference record at 3-0 and season record at 6-2. The Stallions rebounded from an early 6-0 deficit to take a 21-6 halftime lead behind a passing attack that accumulated 185 yards and three touchdowns during the night.

South Brunswick, which started the season at 5-1, suffered a devastating home loss to North Brunswick last Friday as the Scorpions rallied in the final seconds to post a 20-18 win.

Coach Gordon Walters’ South Brunswick team held an 18-14 lead and the football before fumbling it away, and North Brunswick responded with a long “hook-and-ladder” pass play to gain the lead in the final minute.

South Brunswick fumbled away the ensuing kickoff to give North Brunswick its first win in five games. The Cougars had fallen to Whiteville 28-7 a week earlier and now stand at 1-2 in the conference and 5-3 overall.

South Columbus spoiled the South Brunswick homecoming last year with a 26-3 victory, pulling away in the final two quarters after a tightly contested first half.

In a series that dates back to the 1993 season, South Columbus holds a 12-1 advantage, including wins in the last 10 meetings,

Andre Jacobs and Dakota Piver, a pair of juniors, have been the pace-setters for the Stallions this fall as both are seeing equal duty on offense and defense. Michael Hewett and Justin Duncan give SCHS a strong quarterback rotation.

South Brunswick, which appears to be headed to the state 2A playoffs for the first time since 1993, is led by quarterback Austin Stiller and flanker/defensive back Jarvis Williams. The Cougars’ opened their conference schedule with a 35-20 victory over Trask, pulling away from a slim 21-20 edge with two late touchdowns.