Northwestern explosiveness lifts SC state championship contender over Indian Land

If the Northwestern Trojans were looking for players to credit for their 49-6 win over Indian Land High School on Friday night, they’d have plenty of options.

Maybe they’d start with steady senior quarterback Finley Polk.

Or maybe explosive running back Zymier Gordon-Miles.

Wait ... but what about Daniel Caldwell, the wide receiver who’s always a jab step away from turning a simple stick route into a highlight reel?

Oh, and you can’t forget about Tamarion Watkins (who blocked a punt) and Kam Vance (who scooped that blocked punt up for a score). And you certainly shouldn’t exclude Josh Singleton, the cornerback who recorded a 71-yard pick-six with about a minute left in the first half to push the first-half score to 35-6. And what about—

You get the idea.

Northwestern head coach Page Wofford does, too.

“We’ve been lucky, honestly, for the past four or five years where we just keep coaching these guys up, and as guys graduate, other guys step up,” Wofford told The Herald postgame, when asked about the complete performance put on display Friday. “Honestly, they show up and they work, and we feel like our system develops them and gets them ready to play, and not before too long, they’re in there catching a bunch of touchdown passes and getting a bunch of yards and blocking for each other.

“It hasn’t been just one guy around here for a while. And that’s the way we want it.”

The Trojans, fueled by an explosive performance in District Three Stadium in the heart of Rock Hill, stayed perfect at 11-0 and looked very much poised to make a run at the 5A Division II state championship.

For Wofford, the only important game now is the one in front of him — which will be Greenwood next Friday night in Rock Hill. But the question still lurks:

Could this year be the year the Trojans win it all?

“We’ve been good for a bunch of years. (Cleveland Browns QB) Jameis Winston had the old Proverbs 21-31 (Thursday),” Wofford said with a smile. “We coach as best as we can, and we prepare them, but it’s up to God as to what happens.”

How Northwestern defeated Indian Land

The Trojans started fast and only accelerated as the night went on.

After forcing a three-and-out, Northwestern made the most of its first possession that ended in an 8-yard touchdown run from Gordon-Miles. A Matthew Fish PAT made the score 7-0. The same sort of sequence came about five minutes of game-time later: A Northwestern three-and-out was cashed in again — this time via a Caldwell 28-yard touchdown. 14-0.

Indian Land didn’t lay down. On the ensuing possession, the Warriors ripped a pair of big runs by Omarion Davis and Jamol Horton and then saw a Matt Kucia pass be caught by Sequel Patterson for a touchdown. A blocked PAT by Northwestern’s Andre Pickett kept the score at 14-6.

And then the floodgates opened. The rest of the first half looked like this:

▪ Another Gordon-Miles touchdown.

▪ Then the blocked punt by Watkins — who shot through the A gap like a rocket — and the scoop-and-score from 19 yards out by Vance.

▪ Then an interception returned 71 yards for a Singleton touchdown. 35-6.

And the second half was just as Northwestern-dominant. It started with a Caldwell kick return he almost took to the end zone — followed up by another rushing touchdown by Gordon-Miles — and that was essentially it. A running clock came shortly thereafter.

Indian Land head coach Adam Hastings told The Herald postgame that Northwestern is a great, well-coached football team that puts “stressors” on you to be perfect — and that two huge plays in the first half really put the Warriors at a disadvantage.

The final score didn’t take away how proud he was of his team, though.

“They have laid this incredible foundation of culture that has made our team really fun to be around,” Hastings said of his senior class. “I feel like the dividends of their work isn’t seen now — but it’ll be seen in a couple years.”

Statistical leaders from Northwestern vs. Indian Land

The Trojans outgained Indian Land 247 to 199 on Friday night.

Northwestern quarterback Finely Polk finished 14 of 19 for 126 yards and one touchdown and one interception. He had the type of game that he and Wofford have been having through the three years they’ve been leading the offense. The coach-and-player connection is so good that some of the season’s biggest plays have come after they telepathically communicated, Wofford said — a head nod turning into a touchdown and the like.

Polk threw to Caldwell, who finished with four catches for 55 yards and a score. Vance (3 catches for 20 yards), Jayden Nichols (three catches for 14 yards), Gordon-Miles (two catches for 28 yards), TaDarrian Knox (two catches for 9 yards) and Ja’Shawn Reid (one catch for 10 yards) rounded out the receiving production for the Trojans.

Gordon-Miles ran for an astounding 117 yards on 17 carries and four touchdowns.

Indian Land was led by Kucia, who finished 15-of-39 for 89 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The freshman QB — whose brother, Mason, is a Gamecock golf recruit and multi-time golf state champion — handed the ball off to Horton (19 carries for 91 yards) and threw to Patterson (eight catches for 54 yards) and Lavoris Lucas (five catches for 22 yards), among others.

Before walking off the District Three Stadium turf victorious, only to return next week hoping for the same result, Wofford said this is as good a team as he’s had at Northwestern — a program that he’s run with aplomb since he earned the head job in 2019.

Wofford then revisited the elephant-in-the-room, state-title-sized question.

“Is this the year?” Wofford reiterated. He smiled. “I don’t know. I’ll let you know in about two or three weeks.”