PENDLETON – The Fairfield Central Griffins snuck into the South Carolina High School League 3A in the number-four seed and had to take to the road for their opening round contest against the one-seeded Pendleton Bulldogs. The Griffins led 14-6 in the fourth quarter, but the upset was not to be, and Pendleton escaped with a 20-14 win.
Both offenses were shut down in the first half, and the score at halftime was still knotted up 0-0. Pendleton broke up the scoreless affair in the third quarter. Bulldogs quarterback Jamal Blakley found Zaine Green for the 46-yard score, but the extra point was no good.
Later in the third, Will Barber put the Griffins on the scoreboard with a two-yard touchdown run. Edwin Aguilera nailed the go ahead extra point. Barber’s 11-yard touchdown run put the Griffins ahead 14-6 in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs tied things up later in the quarter, when Jamal Blakley rang up D’Andre Brown for a 24-yard score. Pendleton scored the final go ahead score with under a minute left to play. Blakley dialed up Jason Wright-Mann for the 39-yard game winning touchdown.
Scoring
FCHS– 0-0-7-7-14
PHS– 0-0-6-14-20
Rushing: PHS – Zaine Green 1-10, Jamal Blakely 2(-12), Jason Wright-Mann 8-(-14).FCHS – Will Barber 22-124, Stephon Gadsden 16-109, Devin Johnson 1-8, CJ Simmons 2-(-2), Malcolm Armstrong 1-(-7).
Receiving:. PHS – Zaine Green 5-85, Jason Wright-Mann 5-59, Sidney Mattison 4-41, Payton Bunch 2-9. FCHS- CJ Simmons 6-48, Will Barber 3-28, JR Edmonds 2-25, Justice Boyd 4-22, Jacob McManus 1-6.
Passing: PHS -Jamal Blakley, 17-27, 238 yards, three touchdowns. .FCHS – Stephon Gadsden 16-28, 129 yards, two interceptions.