Fort Mill holds at No. 9 in the South Carolina Class 5A media poll released Tuesday, Oct. 13, keeping the Yellow Jackets in the top 10 after their 31-7 road win over Spartanburg.
The poll, first reported by the Rock Hill Herald, was voted on by 18 media members from across the state. Fort Mill (6-1) stayed put despite improving from 5-1 to 6-1 with the Region 2-5A victory at Viking Stadium on Friday, Oct. 9.
The Yellow Jackets' defense forced four turnovers against Spartanburg, according to Sports Illustrated's high school coverage. Running back Broden Mitcheson scored two rushing touchdowns, including a 35-yard run in the fourth quarter. Aiden O'Hara added 106 yards on 11 carries and a 1-yard scoring run, according to Fort Mill Prep Sports.
Kicker Noah Hardy hit a 53-yard field goal and went 4-for-4 on extra points. Quarterback Harper Love threw for 151 yards on 14-of-26 passing with touchdown passes to Mitcheson and Kieran McCormack.
Fort Mill's only loss came Oct. 2 at home against Dorman, 28-24, in the Region 2-5A opener. Head coach Rob McNeely told Fort Mill Prep Sports after that defeat, "These kids know that they're good enough to beat good teams … Belief is more than half the battle."
The Jackets answered with the Spartanburg blowout. They now sit at 1-1 in region play, fourth in Region 2-5A according to MaxPreps.
At the top of the 5A poll, the race tightened. Dutch Fork (7-0) held No. 1 with 10 first-place votes but led Northwestern (6-1) by just three points. Northwestern collected eight first-place votes after beating then-No. 3 Dorman 35-19 on Oct. 9. James Island (7-0) moved up to No. 3.
Region rival Rock Hill (5-2) dropped from No. 8 to No. 10 after falling to Boiling Springs 30-23 in overtime. Boiling Springs (6-1) jumped from No. 10 to No. 8, one spot ahead of Fort Mill.
In the Class 4A poll, Indian Land (5-2) checked in at No. 8.
Three region games remain for Fort Mill. The Yellow Jackets travel to Rock Hill on Friday, Oct. 16, then visit No. 2 Northwestern on Oct. 22 before closing the regular season at home against No. 8 Boiling Springs on Oct. 29.
