Wilson holds off South Florence charge

FLORENCE — Turnovers and big plays.

South Florence’s turnovers helped create an early hole for the Bruins, but Wilson’s big plays in the second half helped the Tigers hold off a fierce comeback.

Wilson running back Adray Montgomery rushed for 119 yards and three touchdowns and quarterback Maleik McCall threw two second-half touchdowns as the Tigers held off a South Florence surge to claim a 40-30 win Friday at Memorial Stadium.

The game was the first of the season for Wilson.

“It was a game of momentum shifts,” Wilson coach Darryl Page said. “I thought we came out early and really controlled the tempo, but then they took it over to start the second half.

“But our kids showed a lot of mettle, both on offense and defense, and we were able to make some big plays that were the difference in the game.”

McCall connected on passes of 56 yards and 53 yards also in the second half, one of which went for a score as the Bruins and Tigers traded touchdowns for most of the final 24 minutes.

The senior QB finished with 211 yards passing and 71 yards rushing.

“It was a good return for him,” Page. “We know what he’s capable of doing and he showed that tonight. One of those touchdowns was a check-off, so he saw the field well and reacted.”

Both touchdown throws came at critical times as well. The first was on fourth down after South had cut the Tigers’ lead to 20-15 early in the third quarter. The second came right after another Bruins score and put the game out of reach.

The Tigers managed to stay one score ahead of the Bruins thanks to a dominant first half. Wilson scored on its opening two possessions and took advantage of two South Florence fumbles as the Tigers built a 20-2 lead late in the second quarter.

“We were our own worst enemy in the first half,” South coach Lynn Fleming said. “I didn’t feel like they shut us down, we just turned the ball over and made some mistakes that cost us.”

But the Bruins regained a spark of momentum at the end of the half with a 10-play drive that ended with a 9-yard TD run by Terrion Brown to cut the lead to 20-8.

Brown’s 35-yard scoring run on the opening drive of the second half brought the Bruins to within 20-15. Brown finished with three touchdowns and 171 yards rushing, most of which came in the second half.

“We made some adjustments at the half and our offensive line and Terrion came through for us in the second half,” South coach Lynn Fleming said. “I thought we had them back on their heels a bit, but that last turnover really hurt us.”

An interception by the Bruins midway through the third quarter swung momentum fully to the Bruins’ side, but South’s third and final fumble of the night proved costly as Wilson scored four plays later to go back up by two scores.

“We talked a lot about character in the offseason,” Page said. “This was a game that tested our kids’ character, but it won’t be the last.”