‘Historical win’ : May River football holds off Strom Thurmond to advance in 3A playoffs

May River’s road warriors did it again.

Behind a powerful running game of Ahmad Green and running back Donovan Ling, the Sharks defeated Strom Thurmond, 21-17, in the third round of the Class 3A Lower State playoffs.

May River’s reward is a matchup at home with Dillon in the Lower State championship. It’s the Sharks’ first appearance in the state semifinals.

“Definitely going to be great to be at home in the Shark Tank and it was a historical win for our program,” May River coach Rodney Summers said. “The defense had some crucial stops tonight and also an unbelievable performance by the offensive line and Ahmad Green.

“Didn’t throw the ball much and dominated the time of possession. Nail-biter at the end but defense was able to make the stop on fourth-and-one.”

Strom Thurmond drove it to the Sharks’ 25 with less than a minute but May River stopped them on fourth-and-one to seal the win.

It will be the second straight year May River faces Dillon in the playoffs. The Sharks lost 38-2 in the third round last year.

May River came with a heavy dose of the run game, and it was effective. Green carried the ball 29 times for 137 yards and three touchdowns, and Ling added 94 rushing yards on 14 carries.

“That’s a powerful offense. That quarterback is a dynamic player, but I thought (our defense) did a good job just battling,” Strom Thurmond head coach Antwaun Hillary said. “We ended up getting two stops when we needed them, and that’s all you can ask for. I’m proud of my defensive coordinator and how he kept his composure.”

The Sharks kept the Rebels’ defense on the field for a majority of the first half and kept the ball out of the hands of the Rebels’ offense. They put together two lengthy scoring drives which ate up a good chunk of the clock. The Rebels got into scoring position late in the second quarter but stalled at the Sharks 1-yard line. Hunter Bledsoe’s field goal attempt from the right hash went wide right as time expired in the first half, keeping the score 14-3.