MOUNT PLEASANT — A true rivalry is born when two competing teams each experience victory. After Wando’s regular-season finale win over town rival Lucy Beckham, the Mount Pleasant rivalry is on.
The Warriors' win on Friday before a sellout crowd at District 2 stadium was Wando’s first in three tries against Lucy Beckham. The Warriors claimed the first-ever Sweetgrass Trophy, awarded by the town of Mount Pleasant, by posting a 10-7 win.
In other games, Hanahan took a 48-13 win over Battery Creek; Philip Simmons topped Andrews, 50-22; and Bishop England won at Colleton County, 35-6. In SCISA, Porter-Gaud trounced Laurence Manning by 52-22, and Pinewood Prep won by 69-21 over John Paul II.
With the Wando-Beckham score tied at seven late in the fourth quarter, the Warriors' Jake Huston booted a 37-yard game-winning field goal with 4:58 left in the game. Wando’s defense then closed the deal.
As is often the case in towns with two schools, players from both teams grew up playing youth sports together as teammates. Friendships certainly remain but when it comes to football, those are set aside for two hours.
Both teams entered the game with identical 4-5 overall records, each looking for a .500 finish as they head into the state playoffs in two weeks.
Wando’s defense dominated the opening half, limiting the Bengals to just one first down until late in the second quarter. Wando’s offense had a modicum of success, but was hurt by penalties throughout the half.
Wando held a 7-0 lead on Michael Jenkins’ 2-yard run with 4:55 remaining in the half. The Bengals got their offense clicking late in the period, picking up four first downs and moving to Wando’s one-yard line with time running out. The Wando defense stood strong, getting a stop near the goal line as time expired.
The offensive momentum for Lucy Beckham carried over into the third quarter as the Bengals chewed up nearly seven minutes of the clock and got a tying touchdown run of 1-yard from Tre Thompson.
Wando has one possession in the third quarter, which ended with a sack on fourth down after the Warriors had reached inside the Bengals’ 30-yard line.
The Warriors stopped the Bengals on fourth down, ending a threat at the Wando 28-yard line. Wando’s offense responded with a good drive to the Beckham 30 and Huston booted the winning field goal.
Both teams are headed for the AAAAA state playoffs, which begin on Nov. 15. Wando will play in the Division I bracket while the Bengals will play in Division II.