Football stars Mahoney, Falotico shine in SC all-star game
Bishop England quarterback Quinn Mahoney, Philip Simmons kicker CJ Falotico, and the rest of the South squad didn’t get to celebrate a victory in the 78th edition of the annual battle of South Carolina's best upper and lower state football players in the Touchstone Energy Bowl, which was contested Dec. 13 at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium in Myrtle Beach.
The North prevailed for a thrilling 35-27 victory, but that didn’t stop the Daniel Island student-athletes from savoring success.
The North led 28-10, but the South scored 10 unanswered points, including a field goal by Iron Horse standout Falotico, to make it 28-20 with just under nine minutes left in the game.
After the North returned a kickoff 95 yards for a score to push the lead to 15 points, Mahoney, the Bishop's star quarterback, led a 10-play, 52-yard drive that produced a touchdown when he scored on an 8-yard run with just over five minutes left in the game to make it 35-27.
But the South couldn’t convert its last drive into points as the North won for the second straight year and for the sixth time in the last seven games. The North leads the series 44-32-2.
The 6-3, 210-pound Mahoney missed the last three games of the season battling mononucleosis, and that probably cost him all-state honors. But the signal caller, who will matriculate to Campbell University, proved he belonged in the all-star game. He completed 4 of 9 passes for 23 yards and ran four times for 14 yards and a score.
Mahoney played in only nine games this fall and completed 102 of 183 passes for 1,446 yards and 14 touchdowns. In two years at Bishop England, he was 272 of 488 passing, for 3,907 yards and 37 scores.
“It felt great to be back on the field,” Mahoney said. “I had a blast all week, and scoring that touchdown felt great. It was the perfect way to end my high school career.”
Falotico, who is still open for recruitment, finished the day with two field goals, 25 and 22 yards, and was 3-for-3 on PAT attempts. He also had two kicks that went for touchbacks.
He was all-state and was also named to the South Carolina Football Coaches Association 2025 Palmetto Champions Class AA Lower State special teams player of the year.
Falotico connected on 13 of 18 field goals and converted 54 of 59 PAT attempts his senior season to account for 93 points.
Iron Horse head coach Eric Bendig was a member of the South coaching staff. He was named the Palmetto Champions Class AA Lower State coach of the year.
The all-star week also included the naming of South Carolina’s Mr. Football award at halftime of the game, which went to Tamarion Watkins of Northwestern High School.
Last weekend, Watkins, a 6-4 safety, helped the Trojans win the Class 5A Division II state championship for the second year in a row. He collected 80 tackles and three interceptions his senior season. Watkins has signed with Texas A&M and is expected to enroll later this month.