Capitals' playoff run stays alive by inches
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL - CLASS 2A PLAYOFFS
By Michael Orr

Photo by Morgen Young Columbia's Cedric Jeffcoat rushed 40 times for 218 yards and a touchdown.

Columbia survived a late Chesnee rally and stopped the Eagles on a two- point conversion in overtime to advance to the third round of the 2A state playoffs. The Capitals were led by a strong passing attack by Justin Payne and a stubborn defense. Columbia will host Batesburg- Leesville on November 16 at Memorial Stadium.

Following a solid opening drive with a good balance of running and passing plays, Columbia faced fourth down and seven from the 11- yard line of Chesnee. Eagles defensive end Todd Carter read the Capitals' play perfectly and intercepted Payne's swing pass, running it back 82 yards for a touchdown. While the extra point was missed, Chesnee took the momentum from the surging Capitals. Neither team would score again until the mid- third quarter.

Led by Payne's accurate passing to Curtis Dunbar and Damario Jeffrey and the constant pounding of Cedric Jeffcoat running the ball, Columbia repeatedly moved down the field against the Chesnee defense. Yet five times, the Capitals found themselves inside the 20- yard line of the Eagles and facing fourth down plays. Each time Coach Kemper Amick decided to go for it and each time the Capitals fell short. The frustration on the home team's sideline was palpable as drive after drive ended in disappointment.

Photo by Morgen Young Lorenzo Boyles returns an interception late in the fourth quarter. His interception led to Jeffcoat's touchdown, which gave the Capitals a 14-6 lead with just over a minute to play.

Finally Columbia caught a break, midway through the third quarter when Jeffrey partially blocked a Chesnee punt, giving the Capitals a very short field to work with. Payne immediately found Dunbar in the right corner of the end zone for a touchdown, putting Columbia on the scoreboard and in the lead 7- 6.

Looking to control the clock, the Capitals turned to Jeffcoat who provided a stout 218 yards on 40 carries. As time ran down, Chesnee, sensing their season coming to a close, gave up their half- hearted attempts at a rushing game and threw all over the field. The result was an errant throw by Chesnee's Cedric Proctor that fell into the arms of Columbia linebacker Lorenzo Boyles. Powerful runs by Jeffcoat gave the Capitals what looked to be enough to survive as the lead was stretched to 14- 6 on a two- yard touchdown run with 1:19 left in the game.

Chesnee would not quit, however. Using five wideouts on every play, Proctor led the Eagles methodically down field. Remarkably, the Chesnee offense that had been bottled up all night came to life on their final drive of the year. With 1.7 seconds to play, Proctor found Jalen Martin for a dramatic touchdown. Proctor's gallant quarterback keep gave the Eagles a two- point conversion, tying the game at 14 and forcing overtime.

Columbia found the end zone first on a fourth down quarterback sweep by Payne giving the Capitals a 21- 14 lead. Chesnee scored on their second play on another Proctor pass to Martin. Rather than extending the game into a second overtime with an extra point, Chesnee Coach Brent Bridges elected to go for two. After a timeout to collect their thoughts, the Eagles ran a quarterback sweep to the left. Proctor lunged for the goal line but was stopped inches short of the end zone, ensuring a Columbia victory and heartbreak for Chesnee.

The match- up with Batesburg- Leesville will be a rematch of a 2006 third- round playoff game when Columbia won 33-26.