Hartsville’s defense proves itself in 34-13 victory over Wilson

FLORENCE — Before Thursday night’s contest against Hartsville, Wilson defensive back Jeremiah Gandy said one of the two teams’ defense would make big plays.

Unfortunately for Gandy, it was the Red Foxes defense that came up huge.

Led by Adam Peterson, Hartsville forced three turnovers leading to 27 points and a 34-13 win at Memorial Stadium.

“I am very proud of those kids,” Hartsville coach Jeff Calabrese said of his defense. “They played hard, forced some turnovers and we’re excited.”

“We practiced hard all week,” Peterson said. “Everybody said it was all about our offense, and we had to prove otherwise.

“We felt like we had a lot to prove. We had to step up, and the whole team played great.”

Peterson seemed to be everywhere on the field during the win. The senior safety collected 14 tackles, two interceptions and forced a fumble. He also returned a blocked punt 20 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter.

“Adam Peterson’s been starting for us for three years,” said Calabrese, whose Red Foxes improve to 4-0 on the season. “He came up huge for us tonight.”

On the other hand, Wilson (1-1) suffered from several self-inflicted wounds. In addition to the turnovers, the Tigers dropped several passes and committed 11 penalties for 110 yards.

Maliek McCall completed 19-of-34 passing for 134 yards, one TD and two picks. After a 100-yard rushing performance against South Florence, Adray Montgomery finished with 41 yards on 15 carries with a score.

“It was a combination of those factors tonight,” Tigers coach Darryl Page said. “I thought we were capable of playing better.

“We were our own worst enemy. We can’t continue to play this way and win ball games.”

Hartsville’s offense benefitted greatly from Wilson miscues, scoring 20 points. Shawn Smith led the Red Foxes, completing 6-of-8 passing for 164 yards and three TDs to three different receivers.

Smith also rushed for a score in the win.

“He’s done a tremendous job for us,” Calabrese said of Smith. “Wilson gave us several looks defensively and Shawn did a good job with his leadership and finding open receivers.”

Ronnie Jackson finished with 123 total yards to lead Hartsville. Dre Scott rushed for 35 yards and caught a 23-yard scoring pass from Smith.

Despite being held in check for much of the contest, wideout Brandon Beans finished with 61 yards receiving and a TD for the Red Foxes. Myquan Pearson caught a 29-yard scoring pass and finished with 43 total yards.

Hartsville hosts Myrtle Beach on Sept. 18, while Wilson travels to Timmonsville. Both games kick off at at 7:30 p.m.