Camden still dominant against Lugoff-Elgin
Camden continued its mastery of Lugoff-Elgin in the Wateree River rivalry Friday at Zemp Stadium, downing the visiting Demons 35-14.
L-E, making its debut under new coach Matt Campbell, dropped its 16th consecutive game and its 39th in the last 40 outings.
TURNING POINT
After Camden opened the scoring with a 14-play, 80-yard scoring drive capped by a four-yard run by freshman Deldrik Jones at 10:23 of the second quarter, the Bulldogs were set up for another touchdown 69 seconds later via a bad snap on an L-E punt attempt.
KEY PERFORMERS
Devin Beckley: Camden junior QB had 174 yards passing in his first game as the Bulldogs starting quarterback.
Tyrone Kelly: Camden DE was the standout on Camden’s strong front four. His sack of L-E quarterback Bradwin Salmond resulted in a loss of 35 yards, a fumble and a safety.
Hunter Campbell: Lugoff-Elgin athlete started the game at quarterback, and finished as a wide receiver, catching a 43-yard scoring pass from Salmond.
OBSERVATIONS
Venerable Zemp Stadium: Friday’s game marked the 86th season of Camden High football at the historic off-campus facility, which is one of the few community venues left in small-town South Carolina.
What rivalry?: Camden has dominated the Kershaw County showdown since its inception in 1978. The latest Bulldogs success was the 29th in 36 tries against the neighboring Demons.
The challenge is daunting: New L-E coach Matt Campbell is facing a major rebuilding project. The program has hit the skids since moving up to Class 4A in 2010.
Let there be light: There was a 20-minute power outage early in the fourth quarter, which seemed to delight many in the estimate crowd of 5,500 as cell phones flickered like fireflies.
THEY SAID IT
“We did some good things but I have to look at the big picture. We simply had too many mental mistakes.” – L-E coach Matt Campbell.
“It’s was pretty typical for a first game. We have a long way to go, but to win is obviously a great thing.” – Camden coach Jimmy Neal.
“I think Devin is a really good quarterback. He understands the offense and he can make every throw that has to be thrown.” – Neal on quarterback Beckley.
“We have a good defensive line with three seniors and a junior and Tyrone is special. He has some Division I offers, but I think he should have more.” – Neal on star DE Kelly.
KEY NUMBERS
140: Yards gained on three touches by Camden’s Ethan Harris. He caught a 74-yard scoring pass, had a 20-yard run from s crimmage and returned a kickoff 46 yards.
4: Sacks/tackles for loss by Tyrone Kelly.
35: Camden has scored at least 35 points in each of its four straight wins over the Demons.
HOW THEY SCORED
2nd Quarter
C – Deldrik Jones 4 run (kick failed), 10:23
C – Lance McCray 2 run (Will Warnock kick), 9:10
C – Avery Barnes 74 pass from Devin Beckley (Warnock kick), 4:37
C – Safety
LE – Rahmel Burton 34 run (Greg Ruffner kick), 0:40
3rd Quarter
C – Ethan Harris 1 run (Warnock kick), 8:53
LE – Campbell 43 pass from Baldwin Salmond (Ruffner kick), 7:09
C – Barrett Coleman 6 run (kick failed), 4:17
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: LE: Jenkins 8-32, Burton 12-53, H. Campbell 4-15, Salmond 5-(-27). C: Jones 11-32, Coleman 4-18, Beckley 4-17, McCray 4-19, Barnes 1-20.
Passing: LE: H. Campbell 4-10-0-37, Salmond 10-22-0-112. C: Beckley 10-20-0-174.
Receiving: LE: Jenkins 5-47, Wells 1-21, H. Campbell 2-57, E. Campbell 4-21. C: Barnes 1-74, Kelly 7-63, Green 1-24, Rankin 1-16.
This story was originally published August 22, 2015 at 12:12 AM with the headline "Camden still dominant against Lugoff-Elgin."