South Pointe, J’Zavien Currence hold off West Charlotte, avenge 7-on-7 loss
A matchup of longtime powers in the Carolinas turned a defensive-minded contest at The Corral at South Pointe High School.
How defensive?
Neither team scored an offensive touchdown.
Lawson Miller’s 30-yard field goal in overtime split the uprights, lifting South Pointe to a 10-7 victory over West Charlotte.
“We’ve got the best defense in the state,” South Pointe head coach Bobby Collins said. “They showed it tonight.”
West Charlotte, which scored its only touchdown on Davion Jones’ 83-yard return of the opening kickoff, finished with 173 yards of total offense (92 rushing and 81 passing) and 12 hard-earned first downs.
The host Stallions, who scored their lone touchdown on top-rated South Carolina high school recruit J’Zavien Currence’s 90-yard interception return late in the first quarter, finished with 72 yards total offense (48 rushing and 24 passing) and five first downs.
“When our defense plays that good, we’ve got to find a way to win,” West Charlotte head coach Sam Greiner said.
The fierceness of the matchup had its roots in a West Charlotte win over the Stallions on the last play of a 7-on-7 scrimmage at the University of South Carolina in Columbia in June.
“We told them it would be different in pads,” said Currence, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound safety who has committed to play for the University of South Carolina. “I don’t guess they believed us.”
Three who made a difference
J’Zavien Currence, South Pointe: The quarterback-safety created both of the Stallions’ scoring opportunities as he scored on a 90-yard interception return, and three straight quarterback draws set up the field goal in the middle of the field.
C.J. Wherry, South Pointe: His block of a 20-yard Angel Ruiz field goal ended West Charlotte’s overtime possession.
Jamouri Nichols, West Charlotte: Despite being slowed by the flu, the junior quarterback accounted for 136 yards of West Charlotte’s 173 yards of offense; He rushed for 55 yards and passed for 81.
Notable
— West Charlotte is located 25 miles from the South Pointe High campus in Rock Hill, S.C. and about 14 miles from the S.C. state line. But the Lions have played only two games against S.C. schools in the past 66 seasons — a 21-12 win at Lamar in 1990, and a 43-6 loss at Gaffney in 2016. West Charlotte played Columbia’s old Booker T. Washington 10 times from 1946 to 1959, and the last time it played a game in Rock Hill was against old Emmett Scott High School in 1939; The school closed in 1970.
— West Charlotte’s score came on a re-kick of the opening kickoff after it had gone out of bounds inside the Lions’ 5. Davion Jones caught the second kickoff and raced virtually untouched down the right sideline for his team’s lone touchdown.
— Three West Charlotte turnovers snuffed out scoring opportunities; Currence’s interception came after West Charlotte had 1st-and-10 at the South Pointe 12, Darien Judge recovered a fumble after a high shotgun snap after the Lions had 1st-and-10 at the South Pointe 49 and Zymier Gordon-Miles intercepted a West Charlotte pass at the South Pointe 20 after the Lions had 3rd-and-14 at the Stallions 33.
They said it
“He (Jamouri Nichols) was sick tonight. I wish he had a ‘Michael Jordan flu game,’ but he was sick. He fought through it as much as he could. But you could tell he wasn’t fully himself.” — West Charlotte coach Sam Greiner
GAME SUMMARY
First quarter
WC: Davion Jones 83 kickoff return (Angel Ruiz kick)
SP: J’Zavien Currence 90 yard interception return (Lawson Miller kick)
Overtime
SP: FG Lawson Miller 33
This story was originally published September 5, 2025 at 10:46 PM with the headline "South Pointe, J’Zavien Currence hold off West Charlotte, avenge 7-on-7 loss."