After squandering three first-half scoring opportunities, the SCHS Gamecocks, debuting new head coach Greg Manior’s offensive and defensive schemes, scored on their first three second half possessions before turning the game over to the junior varsity in the final stanza to win 29-7 at South Effingham Saturday morning.
Delayed by weather for better than 14 hours, the opening kickoff in the annual August scrimmage finally took place a day later at 10 a.m. Saturday morning.
“We started out slowly,” Manior said. “We made a lot of mistakes, especially in the first half, but the kids maintained their confidence in what we were doing and things began to fall into place.”
Three times in the first half saw the Roosters found themselves inside the Mustang 20, once inside the 10. Twice the team actually reached the end zone (on successive plays) only to face penalty charges.
A Dee Barnes interception early in the third quarter gave the Gamecocks the ball at the home team’s 28 and three plays later Rodderick Grace took an option pitch and scored from seven yards out. Dandra Williams’ 16-yard run on the previous play brought up first and goal. The PAT never got off because of a bad snap.
As South Effingham drove down the field to score and take the lead with 3:42 left in the third quarter, the next time SCHS got the ball, they trailed 7-6. Grace then took off on a 66-yard scoring run with quarterback Aikeem Mingle going in for the two-point conversion. Following a sack and fumble recovery by the impressively staunch Rooster D, Mingle hit Nigel Campfield for a score. Jessica Markovcic drilled the PAT and in a span of less than two minutes the Gamecocks went from trailing 7-6 to leading 21-7.
The fourth quarter saw the second and third team offenses and defenses look good. A 73-yard, 11-play drive culminated the scoring when quarterback Rashad Hughley snuck in from one and Clay Kirkland scored the two-pointer. Darius Wright also had a pair of impressive runs on the drive. 
“This one really feels good,” said Manior returning to the school at which he has been the head coach for the past four seasons. “This gives us a lot more confidence and we will also now be able to look at the film and make some last-minute corrections before Effingham County comes to our house.”
The first team offense of Mingle, Jeremy Johnson, Grace, Williams Chapelle Burke, Eric Bryant, James Thompson, Cade Weaver, Jeffrey Friese, Jarvis Cooper and Shawn Fischer accumulated nearly 300 yards in their three quarters. 
Grace had nine totes for 138 yards, while Williams was 4-79. Mingle had a 22-yard scramble and threw for more than 60 yards.
Defensively, the lineup of Voshun Bing, Ryan Fort, Barnes, Duane Heindel, Bradley Malloy, Russell Waters, Alex Mingle, James Cooper, Lenton Adams, Davas Reason and Alan Tindal continuously came through with big plays when it seemed the Mustangs were about to drive.
Time and time again, the Roosters were turned away in the first half. They once reached the SEHS 17-yard line before losing 15 yards on third and fourth downs to turn the ball over. 
Later the penetration was the four before a fumbled third-down snap forced a field goal attempt. Markovcic’s 25-yard attempt was plenty long, but hit the right upright. Finally, Grace rambled in from 13 yards out, but a block in the back penalty negated the play. The following snap saw Grace haul in a 23-yard scoring toss from Mingle, but that one was negated by an ineligible receiver downfield. 
On the next play, an interception halted the drive.