ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. — For the third time in the last four seasons, Camden and Daniel squared off in the Class 3A state championship game and the third time was the charm in terms of the game staying close for the entire four quarters.
It was so close that it needed overtime to settle it. After Daniel took a 49-42 lead, Camden responded with a Ja Mayrant touchdown to cut the deficit to one at 49-48. With Camden electing to go for two and the win, quarterback Grayson White was stopped a yard shy of the goal line, denying Camden its first state championship since 2001.
Camden (11-4) had fallen off the radar in the regular season after losses to Gray Collegiate, Hartsville and region foe Crestwood. But the Bulldogs turned up the heat in the post-season and they came within one yard of climbing to the top of the 3A mountain. Instead, it was Daniel (15-0) capping off an undefeated season with their second consecutive game that was decided by a defensive stop at the end.