No. 12 Spartanburg muscles up to defeat No. 25 Byrnes

Video: Tavien Feaster 2015 highlights
The top running back in the 2016 class is proving his status.

The second return of Spartanburg (S.C.) football coach Chris Miller to Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.) was a success.

Even if it was a day early and under sloppy conditions.

Miller, who coached Byrnes to four state championships in six seasons, watched his team get a touchdown pass from Austin Scott and a scoring run from Clemson-bound Tavien Feaster in a 17-7 victory in a battle of South Carolina and national powers.

Spartanburg (6-0) came into the game No. 12 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 rankings, presented by the Army National Guard. Byrnes (5-1) was No. 25.

Miller lost two previous games to Byrnes, including 35-3 in Duncan during his first Spartanburg season in 2013.

The game was moved up to Thursday because heavy rain was forecast for the scheduled Friday date. The rain actually began during Thursday's game and conditions were sloppy. Two high-powered offenses were essentially squashed.

Back-to-back completions from Austin Scott to Tavaris Scott, plus an 11-yard run by Austin Scott, set up an 11-yard touchdown run by Feaster to break a 7-7 tie and give Spartanburg a 14-7 edge with 8:42 left in the third quarter.

A fake punt from its own 26 failed for Byrnes, giving Spartanburg a short field. The Byrnes defense did a good job and the Vikings had to settle for a 27-yard field goal, making it 17-7 with 5:36 left in the third.

Spartanburg looked like it would clinch the win by driving to the Byrnes 8, with a first and goal midway through the fourth quarter. But a goal-line stand stopped Spartanburg at the 1 on fourth down with 5:36 left.

Byrnes methodically moved down field and seemed to climb back in, but it fumbled into the Spartanburg end zone, giving the Vikings the ball -- and essentially the game.

Spartanburg took a 7-0 lead with 8:13 left in the first quarter on a 10-yard pass from Austin Scott to Marsalis Wilson.

Micah Young answered with a 1-yard TD run with 3:51 left in the first to tie the game at 7-7. The score remained that way through halftime even though Spartanburg moved the ball effectively. The Vikings missed a 33-yard field goal with 1:40 left in the first quarter.

Spartanburg moved into Byrnes territory late in the second quarter, but a sack led to a Hail Mary try at the buzzer that fell incomplete.