Pee Dee hopes to rebound against region foe

This past Friday night, for the third time in three weeks, the Pee Dee Academy football team found themselves up against a Goliath. This time, the opponent was AA power, Thomas Sumter.
However, as they had done in the previous two contests, the heart of a champion came out in the Golden Eagles.

On Thomas Sumter’s first possession, they were forced to punt. Then, a run by Pee Dee’s Bradley George for eight yards and another by Storm Page of 16 had them at midfield.
They would gain one more first down before giving the ball back to the Generals and this time the visitors cashed in.

A big run to midfield by Michael Fitzgerald put the ball back in Golden Eagles’ territory. Then, quarterback Blake Stengel hit his receiver, Harrison Cardone, with a 41-yard pass and the touchdown.
The score made it 7-0 Generals at the end of one quarter.

A quick three and out by Pee Dee gave it back to Thomas Sumter and, it did not take long for Stengel to increase the lead. At 9:21 of the second, the signal caller found his tight end, Ricky Mello, open for six to make it 13-0.

Back on their heels, the Golden Eagles failed to move the ball again. But, after a punt, Pee Dee’s defense held when it had to. The stop kept them in the ball game and the score was 13-0 Thomas Sumter at intermission.

The Golden Eagles were in desperate need of a spark to start the second half. Kevin Driggers delivered by putting his versatility on full display. First, the junior returned the kickoff 29 yards, and then he hauled in a 15-yard pass from Will Daniels.

Driggers took a handoff and 41 yards later, he found the left side of the end zone. His PAT kick made it 13-7 at the 10:00 mark of the third.

An inspired Pee Dee defense forced a quick three and out by the Generals. However, they failed to convert and Sumter got the ball back again.

On the first play of that possession, Bruce Baker got in front of Stengel’s sideline pass and picked it off at the 18.

With momentum and the crowd on their side, the Golden Eagles began to drive. Daniels connected with Driggers on the option for ten yards. Then, George ran for 23 up the gut and Storm Page got 13 more up the middle.

Runs by George for eight yards and Page for 18 yards were the set up for Pee Dee with first and goal at the 2. Then, came the turning point.

The Generals recovered a Pee Dee fumble. A deflated Golden Eagle defense could not stop Thomas Sumter as they drove 96 yards for the score.

Stengel would hit Mello for his second eight-yard score of the night. Then, Anthony Bozzachio put the finishing touches on a General win with a 2-yard run.

The 28-7 final drops the Golden Eagles to 1-3 overall on the year and 0-1 in region play. However, the score is not indicative of the hard-fought, hard-hitting nature of the game.

The Pee Dee ground game was solid, amassing 241 total yards rushing, averaging 7 per carry. George led the way with 89 yards, followed by Page with 80 yards and Driggers with 69 yards.
But, the crushing blow was losing the turnover battle, 4-1.

After an off week this Friday, Pee Dee travels to St. Matthews on the Sept. 25 for a date with Calhoun Academy. The game is slated for a 7:30 pm kickoff.