JOHNSTON – Saluda High School head coach Doug Painter was a man of his word.

During the week he had promised Strom Thurmond’s Lee Sawyer, his former head coach at Thurmond where he served as offensive coordinator before taking over in Saluda, that the vaunted Rebels defensive unit would not pick off his quarterback four times as they had done to Laney a week ago.

And he was right – the Rebels got just one, an interception of Drey Mitchell by Thurmond’s Cody Johnson on the opening play of the fourth quarter. But it proved to be a hollow victory as second-ranked Strom Thurmond handled the Tigers Friday in a lopsided 41-7 final.

The first quarter of play was competitive, as the Tigers kept the second-ranked Rebels out of the end zone until 2:27 when Strom Thurmond sophomore running back Darius Hammond rumbled in from 12 yards out to give the Rebels a 7-0 lead after Trent Miller’s PAT kick.

But the game got out of hand soon after that.

Thurmond added another two scores in the second quarter on a nice 16-yard pass play from Thurmond quarterback Raleigh Yeldell to Shaq Dobbs and an 8-yard run by Yeldell. Saluda had a couple of offensive opportunities in the quarter, especially after Thurmond turned over the ball deep in their own territory on a muffed punt. But the Rebels’ defense stiffened and stopped Saluda on four straight plays to force the turnover on downs.

Things turned very serious on the very first play from scrimmage in the second half.

Saluda senior wing back Tiangelo Hill took a handoff and was stood up by a pair of Thurmond defenders before he was hammered down by Rebels’ free safety Demetrious Leysath. Hill lay motionless as coaches and trainers rushed to his side.

After a delay of around 20 minutes, Hill was taken away by ambulance. Painter confirmed that Hill had lost consciousness, but he did not have an update on Hill’s condition.

Yeldell led the Rebels with 201 passing yards and a scoring toss, with 101 rushing yards and another pair of scores. Hammond added 101 yards on the ground and a touchdown for Thurmond.
 
STROM THURMOND 41, SALUDA 7

Play of the game: The competitive portion of the football game having long since been decided in a Rebels’ blowout, Strom Thurmond’s Darius Hammond and Saluda’s Tra Norris gave the fans a thrill on back to back kickoffs. Hammond returned a kick 96 thrilling yards for the final Thurmond score of the game, while Norris answered right back with a 63-yard return of his own on the ensuing kick to nearly go the distance before being dropped by Rebels’ kicker Trent Miller.  

Player of the game: Quarterback Raleigh Yeldell accounted for two scores, passing for 201 yards and rushing for 101 yards. Darius Hammond, just a Strom Thurmond sophomore running back, continues to emerge as a future player of interest with another 100-yard plus outing and a pair of scores. He also had a nice catch out of the backfield as well, displaying versatility.

Why SALUDA lost: As Saluda head coach Doug Painter had promised his former head coach, Lee Sawyer of Thurmond, the Tigers (1-1) did not hand the Rebels’ defense – which entered the game averaging five takeaways per game – four interceptions like they took from Laney a week ago (Cody Johnson had just one), that turned out to be a hollow victory after allowing 41 points to the speedy, more athletic Rebels. Saluda’s defense tired and Strom Thurmond put their overall team speed on display with long runs.

Why STROM THURMOND won: The Rebels were the faster and stronger team on both sides of the ball. Saluda was allowed just one score against Thurmond reserves and a total of five first downs in the game.

QuoteaBle: “We started clicking on offense and only punted one time so we gained some confidence there and Raleigh looked confident throwing the ball. We gained some consistency (on offense) and the defense still played well. I don’t know that I would have believed (Thurmond would be 3-0) with the teams we’ve been playing, but we’ll take it.” – Strom Thurmond head coach Lee Sawyer.

Next: Strom Thurmond has a bye week; Saluda takes on Ninety Six.

STROM THURMOND 41, SALUDA 7
Saluda                        0  0   0   7    –    7
Strom Thurmond         7     14  7  13    –    41

First Quarter
ST – Darius Hammond 12 run (Trent Miller kick), 2:27

Second Quarter
ST – Raleigh Yeldell 16 pass to Shaq Dobbs (Miller kick), 10:17
ST – Yeldell 8 run (Miller kick), 6:31

Third Quarter
ST – Chris Blocker 6 run (Miller kick), 5:09

Fourth Quarter
ST – Yeldell 9 run (kick blocked), 10:12
S – Devontay Weaver 25 run (Brandon Proctor), 2:25
ST – Hammond 96 kickoff return (Kick failed), 2”00

    S        ST
First Downs     5        21
Rushes-Yards     44-137          31-241
Passing Yards     0        201
Comp.-Att.-Int.     0-5-1         16-19-0
Fumbles-Lost     3-0        1-1
Punts-Yards     4-154        1-49
Penalties-Yards     2-20        4-30

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – Saluda: Tiangelo Hill 9-32, Devontay Weaver 14-72, Drey Mitchell 8-1, Almonty Abney 7-20, Chico Gantt 2-7, Tra Norris 4-5. Strom Thurmond: Chris blocker 6-27, Malcolm Watkins 5-12, Raleigh Yeldell 10-101, Darius Hammond 10-101.

PASSING – Saluda: Drey Mitchell 0-5 0. Strom Thurmond: Raleigh Yeldell 16-19 201.

RECEIVING – Strom Thurmond: Antonio Hamilton 6-82, Malcolm Watkins 1-5, Darius Hammond 1-9, Marquez Mathis 3-61, Shaq Dobbs 3-27, Jordan Faust 1-17.