By MONTE DUTTON

Steve Englehart likens Presbyterian College’s first four football games to exhibitions.

No surprises, thus far.

The Blue Hose were outmatched in the opener, a 63-10 loss to Southern Conference member Mercer (4-0). Then, as expected, they defeated Erskine, 31-14, and Virginia of Lynchburg, 52-0.

On Saturday in Clinton, Gardner-Webb of the Big South dominated the fourth quarter to defeat Presbyterian (2-2), 42-21. The Blue Hose were in it until then.

The remaining games are even in the sense that no Pioneer Football League members award football scholarships.

Given that comprehensive limitation, PC begins its PFL journey against stiff opposition. Davidson (2-1), is the Blue Hose’ only nearby league opponent in the geographic vastness of the Carolinas (Davidson, PC), California (San Diego), Florida (Stetson), Indiana (Butler, Valparaiso), Iowa (Drake), Kentucky (Morehead State), Ohio (Dayton), Minnesota (Saint Thomas) and New York (Marist).

“One thing about Pioneer Football League, there’s a ton of parity,” Englehart said at his Monday-morning press conference. “You recruit a lot of the same types of kids. We look forward to conference play and have a ton of respect for Davidson and what they’ve done.”

The Wildcats opened with a 46-24 setback to Georgetown, then defeated Div. II Catawba, 49-14, and Point (West Point, Ga.), 42-12. Davidson was idle on Saturday.

PC’s second PFL game is a road test at San Diego, which is 2-0 entering a probable loss this Saturday at South Dakota.) Davidson has grown into a PFL power in recent years under head coach Scott Abell, though its all-time record over 23 years is 59-93. San Diego has been a PFL member for 30 seasons, going 133-55 and winning 12 titles.

“With Coach Abell there, [Davidson has] a culture,” said Englehart. “They know who they are, and they don’t steer from what they want to be on offense.”

Abell is proprietor of a punishing ground game. Mari Adams leads the PFL with 382 yards and a per-carry average of 8.3 yards. Mason Sherron is second at 227 and 5.5.

Davidson leads the PFL in scoring (38.3 ypg) and rushing (368.0).

PC, in its fourth year, is officially 2-22 in the league, though it defeated three PFL schools in the COVID spring season of 2021. Both the Wildcats and Toreros are 3-0 in league games versus the Blue Hose.

“I’ve been telling our team since the start of the season, it doesn’t matter who we play. It matters how we play,” Englehart said. “That won’t be any different this week. Is Davidson a good gauge of where you’re going to stack up in the PFL? I think it’s hard to gauge it any week.

“Week in and week out, I think every team can beat any other on any given week. … Every week is different, and we just have to take it week to week. I think, in every game, we’ll have a chance.”

Game time is 7 p.m. on Saturday.

Nominations are open for the Laurens County Sports Hall of Fame’s next class.

The 2025 induction ceremony is to be in May and feature the sixth class of inductees. The Hall of Fame was created to honor the men and women that, through sports, have brought pride and honor to Laurens County.

The Laurens County Sports Hall of Fame began in 2017 with the inaugural class. The first class of inductees was Barry Atkinson, King Dixon, Chick Galloway, Cally Gault, J.D. Fuller, Chrissy Floyd, Keith Richardson and Kevin Long.

The Class of 2018 was Rickey Foggie, Kinard Littleton, Truman Owens, Sam Owens and Bobby Ivey.

The Class of 2019 was William Hill, Bill Hogan, Lonnie Pulley, Phil Rogers and Clovis Simmons.

The Class of 2022 was Shell Dula, Buddy Jennings, Ann Simmons Dean Parks, Edward Pitts and Roy Walker.

The Class of 2024 was Robert Wilder, Jean Hammond Whitfield, Walter Todd, Charles Peterson and Anthony Downs.

Nominations for the Class of 2025 remain open until December 15, 2024. Nomination forms are available at www.laurenscountysportshalloffame.com.

The Laurens County Sports Hall of Fame is open to all Laurens County residents, past and present, with certain criteria. Nominees must have been a resident of Laurens County for five years and must be out of high school for 10 years.

Main emphasis for selection will be athletic achievement and performance, but all nominees should represent the positive aspects of sports in general.

Other criteria considered for selection include sportsmanship, integrity, citizenship, character, leadership, community and civic contributions to Laurens County, awards and honors.

Deceased citizens may be nominated, and all nomination forms remain on file each year.

For more information about the Laurens County Sports Hall of Fame, contact Billy Dunlap at bdunlap@golaurens.com.

Longwood defeated Presbyterian, 3-1, in the first Big South Conference match for both teams.

Ethan Stevenson scored all three goals.

PC’s Steven Cordova took a corner kick from the left corner of the field. Cordova’s corner kick found Reudd Manin in front of the goal. Manin blasted a shot into the right side of the goal, giving the Blue Hose an early 1-0 lead in the ninth minute. Manin’s goal was his first of the season and the second of his career.
Longwood (2-3-2, 1-0 BSC) tied the score at one when Ethan Stevenson scored off a Simao Coelho assist in the 76^th minute.

The Lancers took the lead when Stevenson scored his second goal of the game off a Joaquin Sonez assist in the 83^rd minute.

Stevenson closed out the game’s scoring when he converted on a penalty kick with less than a minute left on the clock.

The Blue Hose (3-3-1, 0-1) remain in conference play with a home contest against UNC Asheville on Friday at 6 p.m.

Southside edged Laurens, 4-3, in the Raiders second Region 1-4A match last Thursday.

Laurens travels to Wren on Tuesday.

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