By Kaye Collins

Loris High School varsity football Homecoming game was Friday, Oct. 10, against the Waccamaw Warriors at Heniford Field with a kick off time at 7:30 p.m.

On Friday, Loris added another victory to the bag, ensuring the continuation of their flawless season. They decisively defeated the Warriors with a score of 42-9. This adds to the bragging rights for the Lions, who also emerged victorious in their previous encounter against the same team.

The Warriors were the first to score leading the Lions 6 to 0. The Lions took the field and wiped out the Warriors with scoring a total of 49 points on the board as the game ended.

Loris achieved their victory thanks to several pivotal players, with QB Zamire Moon Gerald (7) leading the charge by throwing for 168 yards and four touchdowns on 14 attempts. Khalid Sherman (0) emerged as Gerald’s primary target, accumulating 68 receiving yards and one touchdown, in addition to rushing for 107 yards.

Gerald spearheaded a relentless offensive assault for the Lions. His initial touchdown pass was a 15-yard strike to Roderick Purcha (4) in the first quarter. Following a field goal by Jagger Suggs (18), Purcha contributed another score on the ground, increasing the Lions’ lead to 16-7 in the second quarter.

Purcha scored an additional rushing touchdown to commence the second half, while Gerald threw touchdown passes to Khalid Sherman and Terrance Hardee (6).

A pivotal moment occurred when top receiver and cornerback Jacobien “Grim” Lewis (1) executed a crucial blocked punt. Additionally, two remarkable 33-yard touchdown passes from quarterback Moon Gerald in the third quarter drained the energy from the Waccamaw sideline, securing Loris its Homecoming victory.

The play of the night was towards the conclusion of the fourth quarter when defensive lineman Damarea ‘Baby Grady’ Thurmond (74) seized the fumble from the Warriors and sprinted into the end zone.

The Lions’ triumph elevated their record to 7-0. In contrast, Waccamaw, following the defeat, ended their five-game winning streak and adjusted their record to 5-2.

“It’s fun. It makes play-calling easy because Moon has the ability. We usually give him two plays and he gets us into one of the two. Tonight, he generated nearly 15 plays. He took the ball from left to right, he checked to pass when he had something open. He’s just a leader on the field who has the ability to make big plays.”

The senior QB entered tonight with 21 touchdowns and just one interception over his first six games. He added three more scores and didn’t turn the ball over again against the Warriors.

“We can’t believe he doesn’t have an offer,” Mance said. “I think he’s the best quarterback at this end of the state, no doubt. Any division.”

The Lions are scheduled to engage in numerous inter-region activities in the near future. The Lions are preparing to travel to Georgetown to compete against their well-known rivals, the Bulldogs, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, October 17.