By Thomas Grant Jr.
For Irmo senior safety Isaiah McClary, Saturday’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl was his “last hurrah” for high school.
He’s scheduled to graduate this Friday and enroll at the University of South Carolina in January. McClary plans to join the football team as a walk-on.
On Saturday, he helped ensure a victorious end to his high school career at Doug Shaw Stadium. McClary had two interceptions for the South in the 28-8 victory over the North to earn team Defensive MVP honors.
“This season was great for Irmo,” he said. “My season, stats, all of that went up. So I was just happy to come out here and do it best.”
Motivated by head coach Walt Wilson of Richland Northeast with Bamberg-Ehrhardt head coach Corey Crosby calling the defense, the South held the North to its lowest point total since 2012. It also allowed just 138 total yards and forced four turnovers.
McClary accounted for two of the three interceptions in the second quarter by the South. His second pick set up the go-ahead score by Hartsville quarterback McKendrie Douglas to Hampton County’s Zion Dobson.
The defense also received a boost from Dutch Fork defensive linemen Terrance Wells and Dakota Jordan. It was the latter who recovered a fumble forced by Dreher’s Charles Jeffcoat and returned it 25 yards for the game’s final touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Lexington linebacker Christian Sexton also played a factor in the defense’s success with a team-high six tackles.
On offense, Irmo running back Jaden Allen-Hendrix rushed for 61 yards. Brookland-Cayce’s Kamden Sox were among the offensive linemen who, in Wilson’s words, played “SEC football” in repeatedly “pounding” the North upfront while “playing a little defense”.
“Coach Crosby, first of all, is a great head coach,” said Wilson about his work with the defense. “You know that his teams that you know of are defensive. We battled a lot when I was at Calhoun County, and he had Bamberg and they’re always defensively sound. The kids love playing for him. That was just a great deal.”
On Friday, the third annual Joanne Langfitt Challenge took place on the same field. Players from Dutch Fork, White Knoll and Lexington stood out in the various drills.
The Silver Foxes’ Josh Smith won the Fastest Lineman Award. The Wildcats’ Artem Kalinkin completed 34 reps to win the Bench Press Award and Newberry wide receiver Jamel Howse won the Best Offensive Skill.
Photos by Thomas Grant Jr. – Irmo safety Isaiah McClary (left) was named South Defensive MVP at the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl. Hartsville running back Carmello McDaniel was named South Offensive MVP.
