GUYTON, Ga. — South Effingham has a lot to work on in preparation for Johnson High at the Corral on Friday night.
The Mustangs survived a night filled with penalties and special teams miscues in a 17-14 win over Screven County, but coach Loren Purvis probably doesn’t want to rely on another 17-point rally in the final 14 minutes to overcome a rocky three quarters.
“The penalties, the lightning delay (one hour and 38 minutes), the mistakes, there was a feeling everything was going wrong,” Purvis said.
Familiar opponent
Two years ago, in a preseason scrimmage with Johnson, the Mustangs were in a similar predicament before rallying to win in the fourth quarter.
“We’ve seen Johnson (for organized team activities) in the summer and they have a playmaker at quarterback and they play hard for each other,” Purvis said.
Johnson and South have not played in a regular-season game since 2011. The Mustangs held on for a 49-42 win.
The Atomsmashers, a Class 3A school that plays in Region 3, won only two games in 2025 but already started this season with a 20-6 victory over Savannah High.
Senior quarterback Shamari King, who accounted for 1,405 yards and 14 touchdowns while earning first-team all-region honors last season, led the way with two rushing touchdowns against the Blue Jackets.
King presents challenge
South fared well against Screven County’s quarterback playmaker, DeMarko Ward. The defensive line of JJ Santana, Karter Wilson, Audrey Mack, Gage Roberson and Brennan Weston held Ward to 61 offensive yards — 27 rushing and 34 passing.
“(Ward) is a little different. He’s bigger. (King) is twitchy. He reminds me of Lakeside’s quarterback (Ty Jones),” Purvis said.
And that’s a scary thought for the Mustangs. Jones was the Player of the Year in the region in 2024 before taking his talents to Reinhardt University.
King had help against Savannah High. Senior Jay Young ran for a team-high 63 yards. Defensively, freshman Tim Wells and sophomore Darryl Heyward Jr. recorded eight tackles apiece.
Mustangs must clean up
Purvis hopes his team is ready. South self-destructed with 12 penalties for 81 yards and had two touchdowns and a two-point conversion called back against Screven.
Two bad snaps in punt formation set up Screven at the Mustangs’ 26- and 11-yard lines, leading to Gamecock touchdowns.
SEHS also played three quarters without leading rusher Khyran White, who suffered a sprained ankle on the second possession. The Mustangs may not know White’s playing status until late in the week, Purvis said.
A Screven fumble recovered by Roberson led to Jack Wohler’s go-ahead 25-yard field goal with 51 seconds left.
South finished with a 249-64 advantage in total yards and a 14-2 advantage in first downs but needed a 17-point surge in the final 13:30 to win.
Sophomore quarterback Liam Coburn led the stampede with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Ashton Holder, a 1-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion toss to Landyn White.
Coburn was 10 of 15 for 117 yards passing and had 73 yards on 19 carries.
“In my opinion, we moved the ball up and down the field and stoned (Screven) on defense,” Purvis said. “Mistakes can beat you. We have to clean those up.”
