Wetside Falls to South Florance

South Florence took a dramatic 42-41 victory Friday night in the Class AAAA state championship at South Carolina State’s Oliver C. Dawson Stadium and ended the Rams’ 27-game win streak.

WESTSIDE FALLS TO SOUTH FLORENCE

In defeating Westside (14-1), South Florence (12-3) regained the crown it lost in 2023.

After last season, how were the Rams going to replace Jimmar Boston and Josh Williams, who were off to N.C. State and Chattanooga, respectively? They were standout wide receivers as well as cornerbacks, so Westside really needed four players. Or two that seemed like clones.

Bomar and Weaver transferred from Byrnes and fit like lost puzzle pieces.

In the state championship game, Bomar had 213 receiving yards and four touchdowns – on four catches. Weaver had a 74-yard TD catch and finished with 115 yards and four receptions.

“We wanted to heave it deep,” said quarterback Cutter Woods, who was 11-for-19 for 411 yards with six touchdowns,

including a 74-yarder to Dreson Evans. “I mean, (Bomar and Weaver) are so fast. They’re just so fast. They get behind guys, so I put the ball where it needs to be.”

Bomar and Weaver teamed for a momentum-grabber in the first half. Weaver chased down South Florence running back Tre Leonard on a 52-yard breakaway run and then Bomar made an interception in the end zone.

On Westside’s second snap, Woods heaved it deep to Bomar for a 69-yard touchdown and the Rams were ahead, 21-7.

“I didn’t feel like we came in as replacements,” Weaver said. “I just feel like we had to step into the positions they played. We had to be the same type of players, if not better.”

Weaver missed the first part of the season but finished with 537 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Bomar ended up with 1,293 yards and 19 TDs. He eclipsed the 18 last season by Williams, who had 1,340 yards.

Backfire

Bomar and Weaver "did a great job of coming in and just being who they are,” Westside coach Brian Lane said. “There was a lot of chemistry going on, man. I mean, they just came in and fit, right?”

Bomar and Weaver were both committed to Appalachian State, but a coaching change there has left their recruiting wide open again. They are ranked as the No. 17 and No. 25 overall players, respectively, in the state by 247Sports for the Class of 2025.

“We want to go somewhere together,” Weaver said. “I think we’ve put out some pretty good highlights for coaches to see in the last few weeks.”