By Lonnie Turner

You really can’t call him a sub, but that’s exactly what Dillon Wildcats senior Malique Gregory has been doing on the football field for three weeks since Super Soph quarterback Avery McCall was injured in the final minutes of the Mallard Creek opener.

Morning News sports writer Lou Bezjac wrote an in depth article about Gregory last week explaining what the 5’11”, 204 pounder has done during his years playing for the Wildcats. He has been an outstanding defensive player, playing every position but lineman, and would play there if head coach Jackie Hayes would ask.

“He’ll play anywhere we ask him and he always enjoys it,” explained Hayes. “He will do anything he can do to help the team.”

Even though he can still be seen on the defensive side of the ball, he will still run out of the backfield and run pass routes, but more importantly since McCall’s injury, he has been nothing but outstanding in two of the last three starts at quarterback and in another sub role this past week against Lake City when McCall re-injured his shoulder on the opening offensive series.

Gregory completed six of eight pass attempts Friday night for 135 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Wildcats to a 51-7 victory over the Lake City Panthers. He threw two to Eri’Reon Hayes in the first half and connected with Jay Johnson midway through the third quarter for the other score. Through the last three games he has completed 17 passes out of 21 attempts for 318 yards and six touchdowns and has not thrown an interception.

The Panthers became the first team to score on the Wildcats since the Mallard Creek opener and it was one of the most unusual scoring plays ever witnessed by this writer. It was on the play that McCall left the game when he re-injured the shoulder in an attempt to stop advancement of a fumble return. McCall’s hand-off to Joe Blue was mishandled and the ball fell to the ground where Lake City cornerback Matthew Cooper scooped it up and took off down the Lake City sideline. Cooper was caught at the Dillon 11 and fumbled into the waiting hands of Jacaurey Fulton who never broke stride for a quick 7-0 lead.

Randall Davis intercepted an Andreus Hammond pass at the Lake City 34 with three minutes remaining in the first quarter to set up the tying score. Two plays later, Gregory connected with Eri’Reon Hayes for 32 yards and Drew Covington, kicking for place kicker Tara Grimsley, was perfect to tie the score at 7-7. Grimsley injured her foot in the game two weeks ago against Latta and was on the sideline wearing street-clothes.

A 52-yard punt return to the Panthers by Anthony Blue set up his first touchdown of the game from eight yards out of the first play following his return and with just two minutes remaining in the first quarter, the Wildcats had a 14-7 lead.

Covington, who hit six of six extra point attempts, got the chance to show off his kicking ability after the Wildcats fumbled a touchdown scoring opportunity at the five-yard line. The fumble was recovered by the Cats at the 19 and Covington was perfect from 37 yards out, two yards shorter than Charles McCall’s record 39-yard kick against Socastee in 1988.

The Wildcats put 30 points on the board in the second half to take a 44-7 lead into the intermission. Anthony Blue scored another rushing touchdown following a Lake City fumble by quarterback Hammond at the Panther 15. Less than two minutes later, linebacker Joe Blue took the football out of the hands of Fulton and went untouched from 34 yards into the end zone for his first touchdown of the season for a 31-7 lead.

With 6 minutes remaining in the half, Hayes got open and Gregory hit him for 28 yards and his second touchdown of the evening, but a bad snap on the try for the extra point was fumbled. The rout continued with the final score of the first half coming a minute later when Qy’Darrius Bethea picked off Hammond’s second passing miscue at the Panther 28-yard line and returned it for a 28-yard touchdown.

To start the second half, Gregory passed long for his third touchdown of the game when he connected with Jay Johnson for a 30-yard touchdown.

The Panthers managed only two first downs in the game, both coming on runs by Fulton, who carried 13 times for 32 net yards. Lake City ended the game with six net yards on the ground and Hammond failed to complete a pass. In three games, the Wildcat defense has allowed only four first downs, two against Lake View and two Friday night.

Anthony Blue rushed only eight times, all in the first half, for 54 yards, and Gregory had 22 yards on just three carries. Daeshawn Davis and Jalen Washington led the tackle sheet with seven total tackles each and Damu Ford had six. Joe Blue had four takedowns, caused two fumbles, and recovered two, including his 34-yard scoring jaunt.

In what has already been tabbed as the Pee Dee Game of the Week by WPDE and WBTW, Dillon will host Marlboro County at 7:30 p.m. this Friday at Memorial Stadium. There should be as many if not more people in attendance as the season opener with Mallard Creek. Dillon owns a 10-8 lead in the series.

Photos by Johnnie Daniels/THE DILLON HERALD. Click the images below to view at full size!