May River football goes for history against powerhouse Dillon
Rodney Summers had his doubts.
The May River football coach questioned if he could win consistently at the programfollowing a first-round 58-10 playoff loss to Gilbert in the school’s first season in 2016. But three seasons later, those doubts have been removed as May River plays in its first Class 3A Lower State championship at home Friday at Dillon.
The winner advances to next week’s state championship game at Williams-Brice Stadium.
“There was doubt,” Summers said. “I remember asking my wife after the Gilbert game, ‘Can we win here?’ I didn’t know if we could do it here. But it has come full circle. It started with weight room. We weren’t filled with a lot of talented players, but the guys believed in the weight room and some of these guys are starting and playing for us.
“The program has a lot of confidence and believe we can win.”
That belief started last year when the Sharks went undefeated in the regular season before finishing 12-1 and losing to Dillon in the third round. May River is 22-3 over the past two seasons after going 4-17 in the school’s first two years.
While May River is making its first appearance in the state semifinals, playing on Thanksgiving weekend is common place for the Dillon program. The Wildcats have reached the state semifinals in 18 of the last 19 seasons and is looking for their 11th state appearance in the last 12 years.
Dillon has won seven state championships since 2008.
“Kids realize they are a good football team,” Summers said of Dillon. “Don’t put them up where you can’t play with them. We are going to play hard, get after them and see things fall where they may.”
Dillon and May River have two common opponents this season — Wade Hampton and Aynor. Dillon beat Wade Hampton, 28-21, in the second round of the playoffs and May River lost to Wade Hampton in the game of the regular season.
Aynor broke Dillon’s 52-game region winning streak with a 38-30 win on Oct. 18. May River rolled past Aynor, 36-22, in the second round of the playoffs two weeks ago.
The Sharks followed that up with a 21-17 win last week against Strom Thurmond.
The strength of May River is its offensive line and strong running game, which put up big numbers last week against Strom Thurmond. The duo of quarterback Ahmad Green and running back Donovan Ling combined to rush for 231 yards in the win over Strom Thurmond.
May River’s defense also came up with a huge stand and stopped the Rebels on fourth-and-one at the 25-yard line with a minute left.
“You can be at school for 20 years and not get this far,” Summers said. “It is a blessing, and I hope that kids realize that.”
This story was originally published November 28, 2019 at 1:12 PM.
