Spring Valley football head coach gets victory in all-star game sendoff

Evan Javis helped deliver a promise he made to Robin Bacon a few weeks ago.

The Spring Valley High School linebacker picked off a pass with less than two minutes left to help the North team to a 22-14 win over the South on Saturday at the Touchstone Energy Bowl.

The win gives Bacon, Javis’ head coach at Spring Valley, a victory in possibly his final game as a head coach. Bacon stepped down at Spring Valley last month after being head coach at the school since 2015 and after 32 years as a coach.

Javis and Hannah-Pamplico’s Tae Sellers dumped Bacon with a Gatorade shower as the final horn sounded when Blythewood’s Anthony Thurman sacked Fort Dorchester QB Zolten Osborne to end the game.

“I told Coach Bacon a couple weeks ago I wouldn’t lose his last high school game,” Javis said. “I made sure I held that promise.

“This means everything. Since I was a freshman, Coach Bacon said I could be anything I wanted to be. After I dumped the water, I told him that and I told him I loved him.”

After the game, Bacon tried to soak in the moment, taking photos with his players, brothers and coaches.

“I wanted to just go out, have fun, no pressure and be around a bunch of good people and coaches,” Bacon said. “We have been working very hard over the last year to prepare this roster.

“I love this game. It is emotional. This could be the last game. And the players when they heard that, they said they would put me out a winner. I don’t know what to say. I’ve got to get back into football. I’ve got a lot of thinking to do over the next couple weeks to see what it is.”

Bacon said it was special having Javis make the key play that led to a Bryson James’ touchdown. Spring Valley’s David Wilson also had four tackles, a sack and fumble recovery.

“Lots of people told me, you are taking two guys on your team,” Bacon said. “But Evan had two interceptions and David’s fumble recovery, so three turnovers came from the Spring Valley guys. But all these guys played well.”

Westside’s Hunter Puckett was North Defensive MVP. Puckett blocked a punt that led to a North safety and also had four tackles, one for loss. The North held the South to 4 yards rushing, had seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss.

Hillcrest quarterback Bennett Judy was the North MVP after completing 10-of-14 passes for 140 yards. Judy had a big 35-yard pass to Daniel’s Eli Merck down to the South 6-yard line.

Emerald’s Jaylen Foster scored two plays later to put the North up 15-7 with 10:10 left.

South answered on its next drive as Brookland-Cayce quarterback Tanner Staton threw a 38-yard pass to Bluffton’s Jaylin Linder to cut the North’s lead to 15-14 with 7:31 left. Game rules prevented the South from going for a two-point conversion until the final two minutes of the game.

Staton was Offensive MVP for the South squad in his first game since injuring his shoulder near the end of the regular season. He missed the final two games of the regular season and the team’s two playoff games.

Staton was 9-of-13 passing for 114 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. His other TD was to Lower Richland’s Nate Branch.

Beaufort’s Colten Phares was the South Defensive MVP after recording nine tackles.

How They Scored

First Quarter

S — Branch 5 pass from Staton (Weil kick), 0:48

Second Quarter

N — Nickels 30 FG, 9:31

N — Team safety

Third Quarter

N — Nickels 48 FG, 3:50

Fourth Quarter

N — Foster 1 run (Nickles kick), 10:10

S — Linder 38 pass from Staton (Weil kick), 7:31

N — James 2 run (Nickles kick), 1:03

Individual Statistics

RUSHING — N: James 7-41, Durant 8-20, Washington 3-15, Foster 9-13, Judy 2-8, Shaw 2-8, Puckett 1-3. S: Smith 5-19, Anderson 6-19, Norris 2-6, Fields 1-2, Burroughs 1-2.

PASSING — N: Judy 10-14-0 140; Shaw 2-6-1 18. S: Staton 9-13-2 114; Osborne 3-10-1 25.

RECEIVING — N: Merck 4-59; Sloan 2-41; Atkins 2-15; Elledge 1-35; Cook 1-8, Washington 1-1. S: Branch 4-41, Linder 3-39, Fields 2-5, Chalmers 1-19, Daniels 1-15.