FLORENCE – Spring Garden football coach Jason Howard said he would put senior receiver Cooper Austin up against anyone in the state.

There’s a reason why Howard has such confidence in Austin.

On just the fifth play of the Panthers’ Class 2A state quarterfinal game against fourth-ranked Mars Hill, Austin hauled in a 53-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Chapel Pope. The touchdown gave fifth-ranked Spring Garden the early lead.

But it didn’t last long.

On Mars Hill’s second offensive play following the touchdown, sophomore running back Jay Dobbs dashed 93 yards for the game-tying score. The extra point gave Mars Hill the lead, and momentum back that it didn’t relinquish in a 42-19 victory.

Mars Hill (10-3) advances to next week’s state semifinals, where they face Cleveland. Spring Garden’s season ends at 12-1.

Austin had another solid performance for the visiting Panthers. He caught seven passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns.

Coming off the field, Austin drew praise from some of the Mars Hill faithful.

”Cooper is just an another-level playe who’s probably ever come through this program,” Howard said. “I’d put him up against anybody in the state. He’s just a different-level player.”

Austin may be a different-level player, but Mars Hill proved to be a different-level team for the second straight year against Spring Garden. Following Austin’s early touchdown, Mars Hill scored 35 unanswered points to turn the game lopsided, led by   Dobbs, who had 205 ards on 14 carries with two touchdowns.

”I felt like the long run they had after we scored was a critical one,” Howard said. “We had them backed up, but they made some adjustments. We had a couple of blown coverages here and there, and we just didn’t answer the call.”

Mars Hill quarterback Griffin Hanson added to the home team’s 7-6 advantage with a  6-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. The extra point made it 14-6.

Hanson connected on a 19-yard touchdown pass to Carter Heupel with 1:48 remaining in the first half to give Mars Hill a 21-6 halftime lead.

Dobbs picked up where he left off with 7:11 in the third quarter with a 2-yard touchdown run, making the score 28-6 Mars Hill.

After a Spring Garden fumble was recovered by Skyler Sterling, Sam Williams caught a 42-yard touchdown pass from Hanson for a 35-6 advantage.

Hanson finished the game completing 8-of-11 pass attempts for 107 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Austin ended Spring Garden’s scoring drought with 12-yard touchdown run eight seconds into the fourth quarter. Pope’s pass on the 2-point try was intercepted by Heupel to keep the score at 35-12.

Damien Thompson extended Mars Hill’s lead to 42-12 on a 6-yard touchdown run three plays later. The touchdown was set up by a 49-yard Dobbs run.

But the visiting Panthers didn’t quit. Pope guided Spring Garden on a 7-play, 57-yard drive in which he scored on a 4-yard run. Larry Rogers’ extra point was good, making the score 42-19 with 7:36 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Pope ran for 48 yards on 16 carries with the score. He also completed 13-of-22 pass attempts for 293 yards and a touchdown.

After a Mars Hill fumble was recovered by senior defensive end Landon Gowens, Spring Garden had the ball inside the 30-yard line, but a fourth-down Pope pass feel incomplete to end a potential scoring drive.

Spring Garden drove inside the Mars Hill 5 on its final possession, but ran out of time.

”They don’t quit,” Howard said. “They’re a good group and I love them to death. They’re just a special group who’s been with me a long time.”

Part of that special group is Gowens and Chaz Pope, who both battled their way back from knee injuries earlier this season to play in Friday’s game. Both were cleared to play earlier in the week.

”I think it was special fir them to get to finish,” Howard said.

Howard praised all of his seniors for adding to Spring Garden’s recent football success.

”They’re the winningest group to come through,” he said. “We said that about last year’s group, but this year’s group ended up with more (wins) in a four-year period than last year’s group did. They have the winningest record in school history. I’m just proud of them.”