For what seemed like most of the season, Scotland’s football team was hard to watch.
Countless snaps turned into fumbles. Defensive miscues resulted in the Fighting Scots giving up big plays. Repetitive penalties killed Scotland’s momentum during promising drives.
But that changed during Friday night’s 4A East Regional between Scotland and Seventy-First.
Zamir White, who was the nation’s top running back prospect as a senior for the Scots last season, stood near his alma mater’s sideline as Scotland overwhelmed the Falcons from start to finish and walked away with a 28-0 victory.
Defensively, the Scots limited Seventy-First’s offense to just 73 total yards. Seventy-First quarterback Kyler Davis, who averaged 69 rushing yards per game this season, ran the ball 14 times for a combined loss of 27 yards.
Offensively, the Scots tallied 380 rushing yards without their top running back, Syheam McQueen, who was out with an MCL sprain he suffered during practice earlier in the week.
And while McQueen’s presence was critical during Scotland’s first three playoff victories, his teammates proved that they could get the job done without him. Joseph McKoy, who rushed for 155 yards and two touchdowns for the Scots, was a contributor on both sides of the ball. When he lost a fumble on a carry in the third quarter, McKoy redeemed himself by intercepting a pass by Davis on the Falcons’ next drive.
Freshman R.J. Nicholson, who was one of the biggest offensive weapons on Scotland’s jayvee team this season, made the most of his chance to suit up with the varsity squad. Nicholson rushed for 79 yards on 14 carries.
As White cycled through several fans and friends asking for photos after the game, I asked him if he was having flashbacks from his time as a Fighting Scot. He laughed and said yes.
White was on last year’s team that advanced to the state championship game. White’s season came to an early end because of an ACL injury, but Scotland managed to defeat Hoggard 47-46 in the East Regional before losing 30-22 to Harding in the state championship game.
Thirty-two seniors graduated after that postseason run, leaving the Scots with a 10-member senior class and plenty of inexperience. But after having to fight unusually hard for a postseason spot and finishing the regular season with a 5-5 record, the Scots proved plenty of naysayers wrong by getting to this point.
The Scots are now preparing to take on undefeated East Forsyth (14-0), a team that averages 254 rushing yards per game.
Scotland was the underdog in their first three playoff matchups, and that trend will continue on Saturday. But the Scots are still set on defying the odds.
“It feels excellent knowing that everyone didn’t believe in us and didn’t believe that we would make it this far, and now we’re going to the ‘ship, so everyone’s happy for us,” quarterback Mandrell Johnson said.
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