JOHNSTON – With just :16 before halftime it appeared as if the visiting Newberry Bulldogs had taken control of the chase for the Region 3-AA title following an 8-yard pass play from Tyler Bishop to standout running back Marcus McMorris for a 14-7 lead.

But it only appeared that way because the Bulldogs had left too much time on the clock.

The Rebels took possession of the football with 12-and-a-half seconds after the kickoff and went to work through the air. Sophomore quarterback Raleigh Yeldell connected with receiver Desmond Davis on the next two plays for 14 and 18 yards before the junior receiver stepped out of bounds with one tick left on the clock.

Yeldell then found Davis again, this time streaking wide open down the visitor’s sideline for a 31-yard score to tie the game after the PAT from kicker Sam Northrop, stunning the Bulldogs before the half and sending the home stands into a frenzy.

The Rebels would go on to handle the line of scrimmage in the second half en route to scoring the game’s next 13 points for a total of 20 unanswered points in capturing the team’s second straight Region 3-AA crown following a thrilling 27-20 victory.

Strom Thurmond head coach Lee Sawyer said the late drive before the half was something he had never seen pulled off by one of his teams in his many years on the sidelines.

“What an unbelievable job there by our offense because that was a huge score,” said Sawyer. “I’m awful proud of our kids and the coaching staff for this region championship. We graduated a lot of senior football players last year and we were kind of an afterthought in the region. It was kind of like tonight where we didn’t get down about it, we got it done.”

Strom Thurmond moves to 7-2 overall and 4-0 in region play, while Newberry falls to 6-3 overall and 3-1 in Region 3-AA.

Yeldell had his best game passing the football, going 10-13 for 142 yards and the crucial touchdown pass before halftime and Nick Williamson led the Rebels on the ground with 19 carries for 108 yards and another touchdown.

The Bulldogs had two touchdowns called back on penalties and recovered three Strom Thurmond fumbles, but could gather no offensive momentum after halftime until the game had been decided late in the fourth quarter. Newberry quarterback Tyler Bishop had a terrific night, connecting with receivers for 143 yards through the air and three scores, but it would not be enough as the Rebels’ defense shut down the Bulldogs’ running game after half.

“They showed us a formation in the first half we hadn’t seen and we were a little bit confused there, but we got things figured out at halftime,” Sawyer said. “We started to get to the quarterback with some pressure in the second half with some sacks that were huge.”

Strom Thurmond took the opening possession of the second half and drove 58 yards on 10 plays before Nick Williamson crossed the goal line following a 6-yard scamper up the middle.

Northrop’s PAT would provide the necessary point to seal the win for the Rebels, but he was also able to add a pair of field goals (33 and 34 yards) later to give the Rebels a nice cushion

“Our offense won the football game for us tonight,” Sawyer added. “Raleigh made big strides tonight and the receivers ran good routes and caught the ball.”

STROM THURMOND 27, NEWBERRY 20

PLAY OF THE GAME: Trailing 14-7 with :01 left on the clock before halftime, Strom Thurmond sophomore quarterback Raleigh Yeldell connected with receiver Dez Davis on a 31-yard scoring pass that tied the game at 14-14 following the PAT by kicker Sam Northrop. The play would swing momentum in the game firmly behind the Rebels the rest of the way as Strom Thurmond scored 20 unanswered points.

WHY STROM THURMOND WON: Poise at accuracy quarterback as Yeldell was 10-13 for the game for 142 yards passing and an offensive line that totally altered the line of scrimmage after halftime, allowing the Rebels to drain the game clock while holding the lead.

WHY NEWBERRY LOST: An epic defensive collapse to end the first half and 55 yards in penalties that brought back a pair of touchdowns (or potentially 14 crucial points) and another long run.

STAR(S) OF THE GAME: The Yeldell-to-Davis connection went for 5 completions and 75 yards (3 completions and 65 yards on one drive) and changed the landscape of the football game just as it seemed that Newberry had taken control.

WHAT’S NEXT: Newberry at Mid-Carolina, 7:30 p.m., and Strom Thurmond at Gilbert, 7:30 p.m.

STROM THURMOND 27, NEWBERRY 20

Newberry 0 14 0 6 - 20
Strom Thurmond 0 14 10 3 - 27

Second Quarter
N – Lance Brehmer 49 pass from Tyler Bishop (Aaron Ransdell kick), 8:02
ST – Raleigh Yeldell 5 run (Sam Northrop kick), 5:18
N – Marcus McMorris 8 pass from Bishop (Ransdell kick), :16
ST – Desmond Davis 31 pass from Yeldell (Northrop kick), :00

Third Quarter
ST – Nick Williamson 6 run (Northrop kick), 7:51

ST – Northrop 33-yard field goal, 2:37

Fourth Quarter

ST – Northrop 34-yard field goal, 6:36

N – Quentin Ray 11 pass from Bishop (kick failed), :50

N ST
First Downs 11 15
Rushes-Yards 37-96 33-176
Passing Yards 155 142
Comp.-Att.-Int. 11-16-0 10-13-0
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 3-3
Punts-Yards 4-156 2-70
Penalties-Yards 8-55 5-55

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Newberry: Nicholas Gallman 1-1, Marcus McMorris 9-60, Quentin Ray 3-9, Tyler Bishop 5-(-22), Montagus Caldwell 14-44, Kevis Worthy 1-3, Kadeem Counts 4-1. Strom Thurmond: Raleigh Yeldell 8-27, Nick Williamson 19-108, Tony Stepney 5-31, Chris Blocker 1-8.

PASSING – Newberry: Tyler Bishop 10-15-0 143, Brandon Ahrens 1-1 12. Strom Thurmond: Raleigh Yeldell 10-13 142.

RECEIVING – Newberry: Quentin Ray 2-25, Lance Brehmer 1-49, Kerry Workman 3-34, Kevis Worthy 1-9, Marcus McMorris 2-20, Rufus Swittenburg 1-13, William Senn 1-5. Strom Thurmond: Dez Davis 5-75, Jamell Jackson 2-22, Demarkus Smith 4-42, Nick Williamson 1-3.