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Published: Saturday, Nov. 07, 2009 / Updated: Saturday, Nov. 07, 2009 07:52 PM

Fort Mill has Falcons number yet again

FORT MILL -- 

For the third straight year, if there is one team the Fort Mill Yellow Jackets excels against, it's Nation Ford High School.

Facing a winless season for the second straight year, the Yellow Jackets upended the Falcons to make sure that wouldn't happen as they beat their rivals, 35-17.

“I can't say enough about these kids,” said Fort Mill Head Coach Ed Susi. “The kids fought their guts out. Our offense played tough. I can't be more proud of these kids.”

Led by senior Max Simons' three rushing touchdowns and junior Asa Kryst's 136 yards on 12 carries, Fort Mill came alive in the second half to distance itself from the Falcons.

Kryst also had 56 yards receiving on five catches, including a 25-yard touchdown right before the end of the first half to put Fort Mill up for good at 14-10.

Fort Mill added 14 third quarter points and held dangerous Nation Ford quarterback Thomas Condron in check, limiting him to 252 yards.

Condron scored on a one-yard touchdown run in the first half as he also rushed for 74 yards on 13 carries for the Falcons.

Fort Mill struck first in the game as Simons scored on a three-yard touchdown run in the first quarter with just over eight minuets left to play. Simons had 17 carries for 75 yards in the game.

Nation Ford put together a lengthy first drive in the opening quarter, but was stopped on the one-yard line by a stifling Jackets defense. However, Nation Ford got the ball right back as Fort Mill quarterback Preston Fry threw the first of two interceptions in the game when defensive back Casey Snipes picked off the pass.

The Falcons took advantage of that opportunity and scored three plays later at the start of the second quarter when Condron hit junior receiver Nick Damm for a 25-yard play to put Nation Ford at the one. Damm led Nation Ford with 81 yards on seven grabs. Condron then ran the ball in on the next play to give the Falcons the lead after the extra point.

Nation Ford extended that lead on its next series as it got the ball in good starting field position at the Fort Mill 45-yard line. After three first downs on three consecutive plays, senior Trevor Witcher hit a 22-yard field goal to put the Falcons up 10-6.

But the game belonged to Fort Mill. Two series later, Fort Mill put together a seven-play, 60-yard drive that put the Jackets up for good.

The big play in the drive was a Fort Mill interception that was overturned on a Nation Ford penalty giving the Jackets some life. Three plays later Fry hit Kryst for the 25-yard score to put Fort Mill up 14-10 with just under 12 seconds left in the first half.

The second half didn't get any better for the Falcons, but a season of frustration for Fort Mill finally came together.

Nation Ford was forced to punt on its first series. Fort Mill then started at the 25-yard line and went 75 yards in eight plays for the score. A big, 13-yard scramble by Fry, followed by a 17-yard run by Kryst, allowed the Jackets to cross midfield. Another 13-yard run by Kryst put Fort Mill in the red zone, where Simons pounded the ball in, bouncing off Falcon defenders for a 17-yard score on the next play.

The Jackets didn't stop there.

After defensive back Quentari Walker picked off Condron's pass on the Falcons' next series, Fort Mill put together another lengthy drive. Yet again aided by huge runs from Kryst of 17-yards and 11-yards from Taylor Hudson, that set up another Simons touchdown on a 13-yard run up the middle to give Fort Mill its biggest advantage of the game at 28-10.

Nation Ford wouldn't go quietly and clawed its way back into the game on its next possession. The Falcons went 80 yards in six plays, led by Condron and senior Jackson Gibson for the score. Condron hit Gibson for a 48-yard pass that put Nation Ford at the seven-yard line, where sophomore J.J. McCullough would shuffle on the next play to put the Falcons back in the game.

However, Fort Mill wouldn't let Nation Ford come back like it did against York High School a week earlier.

Now in the fourth quarter, Fort Mill went 60 yards on eight plays to seal the deal for another score and put the game out of reach. A big 40-yard run by Kryst put the Jackets at the 10-yard line and set up a sneaky five-yard touchdown run by senior Josh Peck two plays later, which no one expected.

Fort Mill's defense held Nation Ford for the remaining eight and-a-half minutes as sophomore David Greshem would come up with a turnover off an interception and the Falcons would fumble away its final possession.

Susi said beating Nation Ford in a similar situation to last year is a building block.

“We have a lot [of players] coming back,” Susi said. “They play a wonderful ball game. The incentive is high when you play your rival.”

Nation Ford ended the season at 3-8, while Fort Mill finished at 1-10.