‘Battle of the Border’
SCHS to go for 6th straight win
over longtime S.C. rival Loris
Joey Price
South Columbus head coach
By DAN BISER
Sports Editor
South Columbus head football coach Joey Price says forget the fact that his Stallions have won its last five meetings with the Loris Lions of South Carolina.
He says forget that his team took a solid 42-0 season-opening victory over St. Pauls and that Loris fell hard to North Myrtle Beach 36-0 last week.
He also says forget that Loris will probably take the field without its top player for the second straight week.
Price says that the only thing that the South Columbus High football team and its followers need to be aware of Friday is that the opponent is Loris … and that says it all in a nutshell.
Seven miles and a state line separate the two school communities. Football is the “super-prime” sport at both. Both are brimming from proud of their successful gridiron traditions, and football at both is a rock-solid part of school and community spirit each fall.
“Loris is in another state and another conference, but we don’t have a bigger rivalry with anyone in football,” Price said. “In a game like this, it doesn’t matter about the scores and records from the year before or who has the most players back. It always comes down to which team plays the hardest and makes the least mistakes.”
The Stallions and Lions will battle for the “Braggin’ Rights” Friday night at 7:30 in their annual Labor Day weekend clash at Loris.
“There is never anything guaranteed in this one,” Price said. “We know that Loris will line up and be ready to play.”
It will be the 16th renewal of the rivalry game, which actually dates back more than four decades when old Tabor High School started playing Loris High in the “Battle of the Border” grudge match.
The game often pits cousin-against-cousin. There are times when a player’s girlfriend is sitting on the opposite side of the field or is even a member of the opposing cheerleading squad.
It has often been said that the two border communities generally exist in harmony for 51 weeks of the year. The week prior to Labor Day has remained the exception.
Loris will be trying to break the five-year losing drought it is currently saddled with against South Columbus. South Columbus took a 14-0 victory last season and won 34-21 in 2005. The last Loris victory was in 2001 when the Lions romped 48-13 in a game that was played on a Saturday at Loris after being postponed by torrential rain on Friday.
Price said that Loris went against a very strong North Myrtle Beach team last week.
“North Myrtle Beach just might have the best team in Horry County this season,” said Price, an NMBHS graduate. “They are big and solid at every position. Loris really had their hands full with that team.”
Loris played last Friday without the services of two-way back Jonathan Willard, who has committed to play his college football at Clemson. He injured a knee in a pre-season scrimmage and it not expected to return to action for at least two more weeks.
“They run mostly out of the Wing-T and some Power-I,” Price said. “They are without a great player if Willard isn’t in the lineup, but they have a lot of other good athletes who can get the job done.”
Jimmy Longerbeam is the fourth Loris head coach in as many years as the Lions are coming off three straight dismal seasons – only eight wins in 31 games – and a defining “low point” in Lion football.
“Restoring the Roar” has become the theme for this year’s Lion team as Longerbeam is trying to put Loris back on its traditional winning course with a positive change in attitude and commitment from players.
South Columbus went 8-4 last season for its worst record since 1995. Price has 17 seniors from last year’s Waccamaw 1A-2A Conference runnerup squad, and all have returned with a wealth of experience. Several have been fulltime starters since they were sophomores.
The SCHS defense kept St. Pauls out of favorable field position in its season opener two weeks ago, setting up several short scoring drives.
“We blocked a punt early and that seemed to set things up for the rest of the night,” Price said. “We moved the ball well and our offensive line did a great job.”
The SCHS offensive line consists of center Dusty Duncan (who snaps the ball to younger brother and quarterback Justin Duncan), guards Jason Harper and Steven Beck, and tackles Steven Beck and Pat Worley. All are seniors, except Worley,
who started as a sophomore last season.
Justin Duncan, who alternated at the quarterback spot last season, gives the Stallions a solid passing threat, especially with receivers like Dakota Piver, Derrick Clay and Donovan Watts.
Running back Justin Smith, who broke his ankle in the Loris game last season, has been hobbled by a sprain to his other ankle that he received at the BB&T Jamboree. He began running in practice just this week and is questionable for Friday night, according to Price.
Fullback Buster James and Rashawn Grate had strong nights running the football at St. Pauls.
The defense is anchored by senior linebacker Andrae Jacobs, a three-year starter who is on several major college recruiting lists.
“We might be coming up short in the depth department at some positions,” Price said, “but this team has some strong senior leadership.”
Price picked up his 105th career victory with the Stallions in the season-opening win over St. Pauls. Now heading into his 11th season at the helm, South Columbus has lost only 24 games (only 14 in regular-season play) during his tenure.
Price said that he hopes his Stallions will be primed for Friday’s game following last week’s open date.
“We came out a little sluggish at practice on Monday, but that was the first day back at school, so you kind of have to expect that,” Price said.
“We’re looking at a dogfight,” he added.