Lugoff-Elgin got the response it needed Thursday night.
After taking its first loss of the season a week earlier, the No. 19 Demons went on the road and handled a stubborn Westwood team 30-20 to open Region 4-4A play and move to 6-1. The win wasn’t clean, but it was enough to keep Lugoff-Elgin on track after last week’s 33-20 loss to Wren.
The Demons built an early cushion, jumping out 13-0 in the first quarter, then spent much of the night trying to turn promising drives into touchdowns. That part of the script never fully cooperated. Lugoff-Elgin reached the red zone four times in the first half and settled for field goals on multiple trips, with kicker Wyatt Rabon drilling three first-half kicks to keep the margin moving in the right direction.
Senior running back Tiyon Fanning and wide receiver Eric Richardson, both fresh off their Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas selections, delivered the plays that mattered most. Fanning scored twice, Richardson added another touchdown, and both were part of the Demons’ second-half push that finally gave them enough breathing room.
Coach Jarvis Littlejohn said the honors for Fanning and Richardson were no surprise.
“They deserve it,” Littlejohn said. “Those are the two premier back and wide receivers in the state. They worked hard for it, and I'm glad they're on our team.”
Lugoff-Elgin also got a lift from the return of senior linebacker Logan Hinton, who had been away wrestling in Ohio. Littlejohn said Hinton went 7-2 there and could leave again for wrestling at some point, but he was back in the lineup Thursday and helped the defense.
“He was in Ohio wrestling,” Littlejohn said. “He went 7-2, so we might be losing him in a little while too.
He might be leaving again to wrestle. But hopefully, we can keep him the rest of the season.”
The Demons have had their share of trouble against Westwood lately, which made this result feel like a break through more than a routine win. Lugoff-Elgin had dropped the previous two meetings, including a 34-28 double-overtime loss last season. That one stung in a big way after Westwood used an 89-yard hook-and-lateral touchdown at the end of regulation to force overtime before finishing the job.
Littlejohn said Thursday’s win, along with an earlier victory over Camden, helped get “the monkeys off their back” and pointed to the direction his team is trying to go.
At 6-1, Lugoff-Elgin has already matched and passed last season’s five-win total. And with Region 4-4A just getting started, the Demons have put themselves in a strong spot early.
Westwood, now 0-6, still found some reasons to feel better about where it’s headed. Junior running back Jovan Howard scored twice behind an offensive line that included several sophomores, and sophomore quarterback Kylen Dopson showed his mobility while operating under steady pressure from Lugoff-Elgin’s front.
The Redhawks’ best sequence came to start the second half. On the opening possession after halftime, Dopson avoided a possible sack on fourth down and connected with Angelo Rios for a 54-yard touchdown.
But the comeback never fully caught fire because the mistakes piled up. Dopson was intercepted on the two-point try and later picked off again on Westwood’s final possession.
“He's taking some lumps early and just trying to get him to trust what we do every day,” Burris said. “Sometimes, when you've gotten away with some bad habits and had some success, that's hard for a quarterback to trust the other way.
“He's gotten his nose bloodied, lip busted up. He continues to get off the mat, and that's the same for all of us.”
Burris said the second-half offense gave him something to build on, and he believes cutting down on turnovers can help the Redhawks over their final four games.
“We're a process-oriented program,” Burris said. “Every coach wants to be playing their best ball in October, and that's where we're heading.”
Westwood also drew attention from the college level on Thursday. An East Carolina assistant coach was on the sideline with his eyes on senior defensive end A.J. Veal, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound East Carolina commit who spent much of the night pressuring Zach Williams.
Another Redhawks defender to watch is Kylen Johnson. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound lineman was active up front, and Burris said he believes Johnson can keep developing into a college prospect.
For Lugoff-Elgin, the win gave Region 4-4A play the start it wanted. Next up is A.C.
Flora, a team that has beaten the Demons four straight times. Dreher looms on Oct. 16 as well, with the Blue Devils off to a 4-1 start, their best since 2016.
Richland Northeast and Westwood come before that matchup, leaving plenty still to sort out in the region race.
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