Wando player returns INT 109 yards

It would have been easy for Cameron Coakley to take a knee. Just fall down and give his team the ball at the 20-yard line, because that's what defensive backs are coached to do when they intercept a pass deep in the end zone.

Coakley, a junior from Wando (Mt. Pleasant), didn’t do that, even though he stood less than a yard from the back of the end zone when he pulled in the overthrown pass on a fade route in the Warriors' 42-3 win over Colleton County.

Coakley decided to bring it out and return it and now his name will be in the record book for the longest interception return in state history — at 109 yards.

"It was more like 109 and three-quarters," coach Jimmy Noonan said.

Coakley ran out his first pick of the year and found some blockers to help lead him to the other end zone. When he first decided to run it out, though, Noonan was ready to "chew his butt out," he said.

Instead, the urge to reprimand turned into an urge to encourage.

"It was one of those 'Get down, get down, get down. Go, go, go,'" Noonan said.

Here are some more tidbits concerning South Carolina football:

2. Dutch Fork (Irmo) coach Tom Knotts received e-mails this week congratulating him on his 300th career victory. Knotts, though, isn’t sure the 49-43 triumph over Lexington was his 300th win.

Knotts is in his first season with the Silver Foxes but spent years in North Carolina coaching West Charlotte and Charlotte's Independence, which he led on a 109-game winning streak. There were a few games, though, during his career at West Charlotte that were forfeited due to ineligible players.

"By my count I'm way over 300," he said with a laugh. "I didn't even think about it. One of the teachers from Independence (High School in Charlotte) e-mailed me and congratulated it. If indeed it was 300, that's a good thing and it shows that I've been in (coaching) a while. I've been fortunate that every place I've gone I've come across great players."

3. The Dillon Wildcats, the back-to-back 2A champions, did something on Friday that hadn't been done in three seasons — they beat Marlboro County at home. The Bulldogs hadn't lost at home since a playoff game in 2007, but Dillon won 27-6 to halt a three-game losing skid against its rival.

4. The third win of the season for Academic Magnet (North Charleston) on Friday was important in terms of school history. The 50-44 win over Military Magnet equaled a school record for wins in a season (the school played its first football season in 1998) and it was the first three-game winning streak in school history. The 50 points scored is believed to be a school record, too.

"It's a nice accomplishment for the team and program," Academic Magnet coach Bud Walpole told the Charleston Post and Courier. "We will try to keep it going."

5. The No. 1 Dorman (Roebuck) Cavaliers have used a short-yardage package that is quite tough to stop. It's a hard-nosed rushing attack that has produced lots of points.

A.J. Booker was running the ball in it, scoring three times in the first three games, but he has been injured. So the running - and touchdowns - fell to Clemson commit Adam Humphries last week. In the Cavaliers' 34-7 win over Riverside, Humphries ran five times for 32 yards. Three of his rushing attempts ended with Humphries in the end zone.

STARS FROM LAST WEEK
Dutch Fork quarterback Justin Suber ran for more than 200 yards and threw for more than 200 yards in the 49-43 overtime win against Lexington. He accounted for three touchdowns ... Indian Land (Fort Mill) running back Rondreas Truesdale helped his team stay undefeated with 212 rushing yards on 12 carries. He scored on runs of 25, 9 and 45 yards in the 49-7 win over North Central ... Calhoun County (St. Matthews) quarterback Shamier Jeffery threw for 330 yards and five scores in the 48-6 victory over Hunter-Kinard-Tyler.

ON DECK THIS WEEK
Region play has now begun in full force in South Carolina, but not all teams have conference games this week. Here's three of the best games on tap this week:

Wade Hampton (Greenville) (5-0) at Greenville (4-1): These may be the top two Region II-3A teams and it's unfortunate the game is this week instead of the season's final week. Greenville's four-game win streak was stopped last week by 4A power Gaffney, and the Generals are 5-0 for the first time since 2003 and are averaging 48.2 points per game.

Northwestern (Rock Hill) (5-0) at North Augusta (5-0): Two of the state's five undefeated 4A teams square off. Northwestern's Justin Worley has thrown for 1,560 yards and 23 touchdowns. North Augusta is averaging 33.6 points per game, but has never beaten the Trojans in five attempts.

Ashley Ridge (Summerville) (4-1) at Wando (4-1): This is the first meeting between the two teams and it's the best start in Ashley Ridge's school history (the Swamp Foxes have already set a school record for wins). Defense will be the key, as Ashley Ridge allows 23 points per game, compared to Wando's opponents scoring 8.4 points per game.

Jason Gilmer is an award-winning writer who has covered football in South Carolina for more than a decade. He does a statewide high school football blog on GoUpstate.com. You can reach him at palmettofootballtalkblog@gmail.com.