South Florence is a perfect 8-0 against Darlington since September of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Bruins will be playing at home against the Falcons at 7:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (South Florence has seven straight victories, Darlington has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Friday, South Florence really took it to Hartsville for the full four quarters, racking up a 51-23 win. The result was nothing new for the Bruins, who have now won eight contests by 28 points or more so far this season.
Gabe McLaughlin
| 10/31/25 vs Hartsville | 3 |
| 08/22/25 @ West Florence | 2 |
| 10/17/25 @ Wilson | 1 |
| 10/09/25 @ Lakewood | 1 |
| 09/19/25 vs Crestwood | 1 |
South Florence's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Gabe McLaughlin led the charge by rushing for 153 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 9.6 yards per carry. Those three rushing touchdowns gave McLaughlin a new career-high. Another back making a difference was Cameron James, who rushed for 179 yards and a pair of scores while picking up 7.5 yards per carry.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: South Florence was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 371 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Darlington didn't have quite enough to beat Wilson on Friday and fell 28-26.
South Florence will have to contain Jaylen Augustus as he made an impact in Darlington's last game. He rushed for 310 yards and two TDs while picking up 8.6 yards per carry, and also threw for 165 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Augustus was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 55 yards.
South Florence's victory bumped their record up to 9-1. As for Darlington, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-7.
Thursday's game might be decided on the ground. South Florence has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 229.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Darlington struggles in that department as they've been averaging 158 rushing yards. There's a good chance Thursday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything came up roses for South Florence against Darlington in their previous meeting back in October, as the squad secured a 57-6 win. In that contest, the Bruins amassed a halftime lead of 43-6, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Thursday.
