Published: Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009 / Updated: Thursday, Nov. 05, 2009 12:42 PM
The Milltown Showdown | Falcons, Jackets prepare for round three
FORT MILL --
It's said in football that one week doesn't make a season, but for two struggling teams, things are a little different.
Fort Mill High (0-10) and Nation Ford High (3-7) will meet for the third time on the football field in the season-ending game for both schools. The winner of the now annual fall contest will be able to carry bragging rights into the next year. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. this Friday at Fort Mill High School's Bob Jones Stadium.
However, for Nation Ford, those bragging rights have yet to come. In the first two match-ups, the Yellow Jackets have come out on top, winning last year's contest 12-7, for their only win of the year.
In fact, Fort Mill has lost its last 20 of 21 games, with that one win coming last season against it rivals.
To find out the last time Fort Mill has won two in a row, you would have to go back to September 2007, when they beat Boiling Springs and York High Schools in back-to-back weeks.
Fort Mill finds itself in a similar spot this season, while Nation Ford has improved slightly from where it was at this time last year. Last year, Fort Mill was 0-10 entering the Nation Ford game, as they are this week and Nation Ford was 2-8.
So, who has the advantage in this week's match up is anyone's guess?
“They are just like us,” said Ed Susi, Fort Mill's head coach. “Everybody we played has been bigger and faster than us. Of the 11 teams we played, we match up with them the best.”
Susi has a point. In what could easily be one of the tougher schedules in the state, Fort Mill hasn't had it easy this season. In fact, they haven't had it easy in the past couple seasons.
This year alone, Fort Mill has lost to the two-time defending Class A defending state champions in Chesterfield High, the defending Class 4A state champions in South Pointe High, a Clover High team not too far removed for a state championship and a Rock Hill High team most likely to be either a state champion or a runner-up this year to Byrnes High School.
So, if there is anything to salvage from this season, it's another win over Nation Ford.
“We look forward to this game,” Susi said. “Our seniors want to go out of a good note. If there is one game we got to win, it's this one.”
Nation Ford hasn't exactly had a cakewalk this season either. The Falcons also have had to play teams Rock Hill, Clover and Gaffney High School. Two of their three wins have come against Class A teams in Great Falls, 3-7 entering this week, and Lewisville, which is 4-6. They also beat Class AA Chesnee High School, which is 6-4 on the season, in probably its biggest win of the season.
The Falcons have also hit a brick wall in the past month-and-a-half, losing five straight.
“We have been struggling,” said Nation Ford Head Coach Rusty Jester. “It seems like it will be two teams who have taken their lumps.”
Fort Mill has really taken its lumps on defense, giving up 425 points this season, which averages to 42.5 points per game. Nation Ford has only scored that many points per game twice this season, but both times have been in wins, a 42-20 win over Chesnee and a 55-35 win over Great Falls.
The Yellow Jackets have only scored 14.1 points per game this season, or just over two touchdowns per contest.
Nation Ford hasn't had a dominating defense either, giving up 308 points or just about 31 points a game. The most Fort Mill has scored this season was 28 on two occasions – against Lancaster and Clover High Schools.
The Falcons have scored just 220 points this year or right at 22 points per game. Nation Ford has played better on the road this season, winning two of its three games as the visitor.
But, Fort Mill High isn't exactly a road trip for them even thought this will be the first year that Nation Ford will play at Fort Mill High and actually be the road team considering they have their own field and own stadium for the first time this season.
The Falcons were considered the road team in 2007 in the inaugural meeting between the two teams, despite sharing Bob Jones Stadium with Fort Mill High. Nation Ford also played its home games at Bob Jones Stadium last season, but was considered the home team last season, while Fort Mill was considered the road team in its own stadium for the first time, as far as anyone asked could recall.
In fact, Nation Ford is 3-8 in two seasons as the home team at Bob Jones Stadium.
As part of the buildup for the Milltown Showdown 3.0, Chick-fil-A on Hwy. 160 West is holding a friendly contest that will result in a cash award for both schools. See the store for details.
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