By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director

WINTERBORO – The old saying goes speed kills, and the Spring Garden Panthers got a huge dose of third-ranked Winterboro’s speed in Friday’s Class 1A second round playoff game at Childersburg’s Old John Cox Stadium.

The Bulldogs overwhelmed the Panthers by the final of 60-14. Seven of Winterboro’s nine touchdowns went for 20 yards or more.

“Going back seven or eight years ago, we went to Pickens County and they had the (Jah-Marien) Latham kid who went to Alabama,” Spring Garden coach Barrett Ragsdale said. “That was one guy. They (Winterboro) have three SEC guys who have offers for a reason. They can play.

“They’re a really good team. We knew that coming down here. We knew we were going to have to play a perfect football game.”

Winterboro (12-0) showcased its explosive offense early, building a 24-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Bulldogs continued to pile on the points, taking a 42-0 advantage into halftime and extending their lead to 60-0 through three quarters.

Lionel Vincent led the speedy Bulldog rushing attack. He finished with 229 yards and five touchdowns on just 10 carries. His touchdown runs went for 37, 3, 58, 50 and 45 yards. Kevin McKenzie added 188 yards and a 62-yard touchdown on nine attempts.

The Bulldogs also connected on two touchdown passes. Duke Duncan threw a 30-yard scoring strike to Will Shephard, while Devecchio Servant connected with Tyler Pointer on a 20-yard touchdown pass.

Spring Garden (6-6) avoided the shutout with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns.

Senior lineman Bryant Williams scored on a 1-yard run with 7:48 remaining. After senior Jake Marlow recovered a Winterboro fumble, senior quarterback Brady Ruark scored on a 14-yard touchdown run for the final.

Ragsdale expressed appreciation for his seniors, particularly the opportunity to get several players who had spent years working in the trenches involved in the offense late in the game.

“The big guys, from the get-go, are always begging for the football,” he said. “To be able to give guys like Bryant (Williams) and Brady Kirk and (Zack) Scogin and Cayden Thompson and Cason (Young), to see those seniors get to touch the ball after all these years of their work in the trenches was good for them.”

Junior Ben Baker led Spring Garden’s rushing attack with 43 yards on 16 carries. Ruark finished with 39 yards on nine attempts and a touchdown, while Williams added eight yards and a score on two carries.

While the loss ended Spring Garden’s season, Ragsdale said he was proud of the way his team responded after a difficult start to the year.

The Panthers opened the season 0-2 but bounced back with consecutive victories over Appalachian and Gaylesville. They continued to battle through the season, including last week’s 20-15 victory over South Lamar in the first round of the state playoffs.

“All year long these guys took some punches, but kept punching back,” Ragsdale said. “They reached the second round of the playoffs and were one of 16 teams left playing. I’m proud of these guys.”

Winterboro advances to the Class 1A quarterfinals, where it will travel to face Addison (12-0) next Friday. Addison advanced Friday with a 53-0 shutout of Sulligent.