St. James let their chances of a season-opening victory literally slip through their fingers Friday night in a 22-14 loss at the hands of Loris.
The Sharks committed five turnovers, including a fumble inside the red zone that instead led to a score for the Lions – a turnabout that may have cost St. James the game.
After St. James running back Greg Johnsen’s 13-yard touchdown run gave the Sharks a 7-6 lead, his fumble inside the Lions’ 10-yard line halted the march. Loris running back Fred Bryant broke loose for a 90-yard touchdown that gave the Lions the lead for good.
Loris stretched the lead to 20-7 before the Sharks tried to rally in the second half. St. James quarterback Josh Roper scored from 6 yards out to cut the deficit to 20-14 and the Sharks had two more possessions to recapture the lead, but a late safety ended their comeback hopes.
St. James will try to get its first win of the season for first-year coach Mark Fischer next week against Waccamaw.
