SALUDA, S.C. — Saluda’s season came down to the last snap Friday night, Nov. 13, and the Tigers’ defensive front won it. Orangeburg-Wilkinson got the ball inside the 3-yard line in the closing seconds, and Saluda kept the Bruins out of the end zone twice to hang on for a 28-21 win in a Class 2A second-round playoff game.
The victory lifts second-seeded Saluda to 9-2 and sends the Tigers to the third round for the first time since 2022. Next up is a home game against Philip Simmons, the No. 3 seed and Region 5 champion.
Senior running back Tristan Daniels carried the load with 153 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including a 33-yard run late in the first quarter and the 20-yard go-ahead score on a draw play with about six minutes left. Quarterback Avery Coyle went 13-for-25 for 147 yards and hit receiver Ceddion Springs on a scoring throw into tight coverage; Springs ended the night with eight catches for 100 yards.
Saluda led 14-0 at the half, but seventh-seeded Orangeburg-Wilkinson came alive on the ground after the break. A Daniels fumble at midfield set up a short scoring run by Bruins quarterback Brenden Peoples, and after Daniels answered with a short touchdown for a 21-7 lead, the Bruins scored twice more. Peoples ran in a second touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and after Saluda lost a fumble on the next kickoff, his 19-yard pass to Desi Miller tied the game at 21.
Daniels’ late touchdown put Saluda back in front. In the final 20 seconds, a 34-yard catch by Tyrene Tyler moved the Bruins to the Saluda 3. Without a timeout, Tyler was stopped just short on a run up the middle, and the Tigers’ interior line held again on one last play as time ran out. Peoples and Tyler combined for 203 rushing yards on 36 carries.
The two teams met earlier this fall as new region opponents, and Saluda won that game 56-41.
Elsewhere in the Lakelands, Abbeville rolled past Eau Claire 55-22 in a Class 1A Division I second-round game Friday. Ninety Six’s playoff run ended with a 42-34 loss at Batesburg-Leesville in the same bracket.
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