Rebels fought hard but still fall short to Saluda in round one of 2A playoffs

PROSPERITY, S.C. — Lon Armstrong Field on the campus of Mid-Carolina High School was the site of the week one playoffs match for the Rebels. It was a place that a playoffs game hadn’t been played since 2010, but fans got their money’s worth in this matchup. Mid-Carolina(5-6, 3-1 region 3-AA) fell 33-13 at home to Saluda(6-5 2-3 region 2-AA) in the first round of AA state playoffs.

Fans packed the stands on a cool fall night to see the Rebels at home in the playoffs for the first time since the 2010 season. The first quarter was a struggle for Mid-Carolina’s offense because they couldn’t get anything going. The Rebels’ defense had a great opening series against the Tigers’ offense after giving up a few first downs that got them into Mid-Carolina territory. Cash Knight made his presence felt early in this game with a huge pass breakup on a key fourth down to end a once promising drive for the visiting Tigers.

Unfortunately, the Rebels’ offense couldn’t capitalize off the early momentum and their long offensive drive stalled inside of their opponents’ 30-yard line near the red zone. Saluda used a mix of their run and pass game to drive the ball down the field on their second drive and made sure to get points this time around. Senior quarterback Bray Williams found a wide open receiver in the middle of the field for a 22-yard touchdown pass. They missed the extra point attempt, but Saluda would jump out in front, 6-0.

The Rebels seem like they finally woke up after sleep walking through much of the first quarter. Monteith Brown took a kickoff 40-yards to set the Rebels up with good field position late in the first quarter. Mid-Carolina moved the ball through the air and got themselves back on their opponent’s side of the 50-yard line as time expired in the first quarter.

Mid-Carolina offensive drive stalled once again to begin the second quarter and they were forced to punt. Saluda went on another long drive using their ground attack this time and Williams kept it himself in the red zone to score from four-yards out. Saluda made the extra point this time and went up 13-0 about midway through the second quarter.

The two teams would go onto exchange turnover on downs, but the Rebels got the ball back with about one minute and 30 seconds left on the game clock after Gavin Mitchell created the first turnover of the game with an interception. They were able to move the ball down the field to set themselves up for some possible points but the drive began to stall again after a series of penalties and negative plays. The Rebels decided to take one last shot before the half, but senior quarterback Davis Ruff threw an interception late in the half and Knight made a touchdown saving tackle after a long return as time expired in the first half.

Mid-Carolina trailed 13-0 at halftime, but we all know the Rebels have done some of their best work this season in the second half. Could that be the story for tonight’s game when they needed it the most?

Rebels received the ball first after halftime and some of the same problems on offense showed up in the second half. Another good start to an offensive drive ends up being stalled yet again. They were forced to punt, but their defense had their backs. Saluda couldn’t get anything going in the third quarter on offense and the two teams traded punts.

Finally, the Rebels took advantage of a good start to an offensive drive and put points on the board. They went back to their bread and butter on offense which is a heavy dose of Ryker Woolstenhulme and Wyatt Mazza running the ball. Woolstenhulme finished it off the drive with a four-yard touchdown run. He missed the extra point, but the home team cut the deficit down late in the third quarter.

Mid-Carolina went into the final period trailing 13-6 and both offenses were sleep walking for much of the game. One would assume it would be a defensive battle in the fourth, but it wasn’t. The offensive fireworks started in the final period and Saluda would pop things off. They possessed the ball going into the fourth quarter and went on another long touchdown drive that was powered by their rushing attack. Williams would find the end zone again for his second rushing touchdown and third of the game to give them a 20-6 lead.

The Rebels would get the ball back and drive it right down the field with a long drive of their own. Woolstenhulme had a 55-yard kickoff return to set them up in Tigers’ territory with a drive that started on their opponents 40-yard line. Brown, Woolstenhulme and Mazza would all contribute to the run game to put the ball on the one-yard line. Then, Woolstenhulme mishandled the snap on a critical fourth down attempt that didn’t give Mid-Carolina a chance to possibly get points. The ball over the junior running back’s head and he ended up recovering it on the 10-yard line.

Saluda took over and had a chance to put the game out of reach, but Knight had other plans. He continued his dominant not by snatching the ball out of the air for an interception. The junior would turn his own turnover into points a few plays later with a 14-yard touchdown reception. Knight finished the game with eight receptions with over 100 yards receiving, one touchdown, one interception and six tackles.

The Tigers went from having a commanding 20-6 lead to now looking to hold onto their 20-13 lead after the Rebels touchdown. Mid-Carolina’s defense started the series making two critical stops after Saluda committed a penalty on the kick return and was stopped inside of their own 20-yard line with the initial return before the penalty. The Tigers now faced with a long third down, but it was no problem for Williams. He would match Knight’s great game with one of his own and put the game away with a long 87-yard touchdown run on third down to extend their lead, 27-13, after the extra made point.

Mid-Carolina had one last hope after the long touchdown run that killed their spirits. They got the ball back with about three minutes left in the game and trailing now by two scores. The same ole reoccurring theme throughout the night killed their hopes and ended their season. The Rebels were able to drive the ball down the field, but the drive stalled and they failed to convert on fourth down. Saluda broke another long run but it was basically rubbing salt in the wound because the game was decided.

“This group has fought all year long. We didn’t capitalize on some opportunities we had in the second half. This game could’ve easily been 28-27 for us but we had a few mistakes. You can’t have those against a good team like Saluda. I can’t say enough about the guys. The seniors will be missed because this was an awesome group but the attitude of this team will hopefully build for the future,” said Rebels’ head coach Chris Arnoult.

The Tigers put the Rebels out of the playoffs for the second year in-a-row. Despite the disappointing end to the season, the Rebels have a lot to hang their hats on going into 2026. They finished with a .500 or better record in back-to-back seasons, they won a share of the region title and they have a great young core returning. Knight had a breakout junior season along with Mitchell, who had a big game as well. Those two players paired with Mazza and Woolstenhulme should be enough to put Mid-Carolina back in the hunt for another region title and possibly a deep playoffs run in 2026.

“We got a lot of opportunities ahead of us. Wyatt Mazza would be back next year along with Ryker Woolstenhulme and Cash Knight who would be back next year. There is some big shoes to fill with Monteith[Brown] leaving next year but this is a super group to build around and that’s what we have to do this offseason,” said Arnoult.

Congratulations to the Rebels on a successful season and being crowned region 3-AA champs!