FLORENCE, S.C. – It was not the ending to the regular season coach Jody Jenerette or his West Florence Knights envisioned, but the ultimate prize still remains.
“I mean 9-1 is pretty good for 99 percent of the schools in South Carolina,” Jenerette said smiling. “Obviously Friday night was tough (with the loss to South Florence), but you’ve got to dust yourself off, come back and get ready to go to work.
“…We need to flush last Friday and get ready for this week.”
The fourth-ranked Knights are looking to make another run in 4A after falling one victory short of reaching the state championship last season. That quest begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday when they host Lugoff-Elgin (4-6).
The Demons finished fifth in a strong Region 5-4A that included A.C. Flora and Ridge View and have lost four of their last five games.
Even so, Jenerette sees a dangerous opponent that is especially strong in the run game, he said.
“We’d better be ready because Lugoff is the kind of team that can sneak up on you,” Jenerette added. “They’re really good up front and they mash you. Right now, we didn’t respond real well to getting mashed last week, so we better get ready in a hurry.”
Sky Harter has been the offensive focal point for LEHS with 1,220 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 238 carries. The Demons have rushed for more than 1,500 yards this season while passing for less than 400.
“Real big; real physical,” Jenerette said. “They’ve got a tight end on the field, two backs, sometimes three backs and they just want to get downhill. A lot of iso, a lot of just old-school football.
“I love that from a head coaching standpoint what (they’re doing) and unfortunately it’s hard to stop.”
With both teams wanting to play a kind of ball-control offense, the pressure to make every opportunity to score count builds, Jenerette said.
“You’ve got to score because you might not get that many possessions,” he added. “They’ll milk the clock and control the clock like we do. But they’ve got some good wide receivers as well, so they’ll take some shots.
“…So hopefully we’ll be able to score and can get a few stops and maybe get some big special teams plays.”
West looks to rebound a bit defensively after two straight weeks of allowing 38-plus points. The Knights’ had been allowing an average of 14.9 points through their first eight games.
Lugoff has allowed an average of more than 30 points per game this season, which bodes well for a West offense scoring at an average of nearly 37 per contest (36.8).
The rushing duo of Darren Lloyd and Deuce Hudson looks to get back on track. Lloyd and Hudson were contained by the Bruins, but the pair has still accounted for more than 2,300 yards rushing and more than 30 TDs this season.
“I think we’ve got a chance to take a few shots (through the air) here and there if we can,” Jenerette said. “But it’s the same thing with us. We’ve got to execute and stop making dumb penalties on offense. If we keep getting second and 10 or third and 10, we’ve got no chance.”
November 2, 2022 | Morning News (Florence, SC)
Author/Byline: JUSTIN DRIGGERS Morning Newsjdriggers@florencenews.com | Section: Sports