‘It’s gonna be electric.’ Top 4A teams South Florence, AC Flora ready for showdown
The A.C. Flora and South Florence football teams have been next-door neighbors in the S.C. high school rankings for much of the season.
Now, the two teams will get a chance to face each other on the field Friday night when Flora hosts the Bruins at Memorial Stadium in the Class 4A Lower State championship. The winner advances to next week’s 4A state title game on Dec. 3 at Benedict College.
South Florence and A.C. Flora have been ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the S.C. high school media poll since late September after the Bruins defeated defending state champion South Pointe 42-7.
South Florence (13-0) is making its first state semifinal appearance since 2014. A.C. Flora is in its second state semifinal game in the past three years. The Falcons (13-0) won the 2020 Class 4A championship, the school’s first football state title and the first by a Columbia city school since Lower Richland in 1970.
“It is going to be electric,” A.C. Flora coach Ken Floyd said Monday after practice. “It is a big matchup, No. 1 vs. No. 2. Everyone has been anticipating it is going to come down to this. Any time you have that anticipation, the excitement comes along with it. That is what you are seeing this week. I expect you will see a big crowd at Memorial on Friday.”
Floyd has the Falcons one win away from playing for a state title in his first season as head coach. The former Fairfield Central standout took over for Dustin Curtis, who left for the head job at Dorman.
Floyd was the offensive coordinator under Curtis on the Falcons’ state championship team.
“The groundwork has been laid here with (former Flora coaches) Dustin Curtis, Reggie Shaw, Dean Howell,” Floyd said. “This place over the last 12 years has been a dominant program. So I came into a good situation. But at the end of the day, these guys have gotten it done and I am super proud of them.”
Fans at Memorial Stadium on Friday can expect to see two of the top offenses in Class 4A and two players who are having record-breaking seasons.
The Bruins are averaging 47.2 points per game and have a Mr. Football finalist in quarterback LaNorris Sellers. The Syracuse commit, who still has interest from the University of South Carolina, has thrown for more than 2,548 yards and a school-record 40 touchdowns.
“He can throw it freaking 80 yards, it seems,” Floyd said of Sellers. “He is also athletic and fast. If the game ever gets fast, you can count on him to run a quarterback power. If he does that, he can really impact the game. He is big, fast and can throw it forever, so it is a challenge.”
The Bruins also average 200 yards on the ground, and that balance will “make you stretch,” according to Floyd.
The Falcons are led on offense by their big offensive line and star tailback Markel Townsend, a senior who has rushed for 2,505 yards and 39 total touchdowns this season.
In three playoff games, Townsend has 635 yards and 13 total touchdowns. He has 12 straight 100-yard rushing games after being held to 59 yards in the season opener against Greenwood.
“He makes our job a lot easier,” A.C. Flora offensive lineman and Wofford commit Ben Holmes said. “Every time we mess up on a block, he creates space. We are lucky to have him.”
A.C. Flora also has shown its ability in the passing game, especially the deep ball with quarterback Carew Bates, who has thrown just one interception since the second game of the season. Jack Purdy and James Madison commit Chris Lofton are Bates’ top two targets.
Coming up
What: South Florence at A.C. Flora
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Memorial Stadium in Columbia
Tickets: Can be purchased at floraathletic.com beginning at noon on Wednesday.
Radio/Stream: The game will be streamed on https://www.youtube.com/@DefiniteFiction
SCHSL playoff schedule
Winners advance to state championship games
All games at 7:30 p.m.
Class 5A
Dutch Fork at Gaffney
Summerville at Fort Dorchester
Class 4A
Northwestern at Greenville
South Florence at AC Flora
Class 3A
Clinton at Powdersville
Beaufort at Dillon
Class 2A
Saluda at Abbeville
Oceanside Collegiate at Andrew Jackson
Class A
St. Joseph’s at Christ Church
Cross at Johnsonville
This story was originally published November 22, 2022 at 5:46 PM.
