INMAN, SC - In a game the student bodies have deemed 'The Cookout Bowl', there were some sizzling plays by both teams, but at the end of the day it was Boiling Springs coming away with a 28-27 victory in the rivalry game over Chapman on Friday night.
"I'm so happy for these kids and the assistant coaches because they bust their butts every day," said Bulldogs head coach Matt Reel. "We were down at halftime, and I told those guys in the locker room they were about to change the future of this whole season and the next three to four years of this program in the second half. I told them we were going to hit them back and win a football game which is exactly what we done. I'm just so happy with how they played tonight." After a strong defensive effort on Chapman's first drive to limit them to just one first down, the Boiling Springs offense took over at their own forty-yard line. Nine plays later on a fourth and seven, Boiling Springs took their first lead of the season when quarterback Lincoln Huskey hit Raymond Ristau on an 18-yard touchdown pass across the middle to take a 7-0 lead. The Bulldogs pushed their lead to 14-0 just minutes into the second quarter when Huskey threw his second touchdown of the game, finding Spencer Eison in the back right corner of the endzone for a twelve-yard touchdown pass. The rest of the second quarter was all Chapman as they scored twenty-one unanswered points to take a 21-14 lead into halftime. The Panthers first score came on a fourth down play that saw quarterback Coleman Gray find Devin Roe over the middle for a twenty-six-yard touchdown. Mathai Scott tied the game up for the Panthers at 14-14 when he went over the right side for a one-yard touchdown run putting the teams even with just under two minutes to go in the half. After Chapman's Hudson Moss intercepted a pass on the next drive Bulldogs drive, the Panthers took advantage with a little luck as a Gray pass deflected off the chest of a Bulldogs defender and found a streaking Devin Roe for a 60-yard touchdown pass to give the Panthers a 21-14 halftime lead. After a Boiling Springs fumble on their first drive, the Panthers went for a score on their first play of the drive and were denied when Bulldogs junior cornerback Amayjai Boyd made an interception in the endzone for a touchback and it wouldn't be his last of the game. On a fourth and one at the Chapman goalline, a Boiling Springs mishap gave the ball back to Chapman at their own fifteen-yard line. The Boiling Springs defense soon responded again as Bulldogs junior defensive end Jameilion Miller forced and recovered a Chapman fumble giving the Bulldogs the ball at the Panther's twenty-yard line. Boiling Springs senior running back wasn't going to be denied on their next drive as he accounted for all twenty-yards on the Bulldogs two-play drive capping it off with a nine-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 21-21. The touchdown added to an impressive night for Williams as he accounted for 105 yards on twenty-six carries for the Bulldogs on Friday night. "Kam is the ultimate competitor," said Reel. "He's great mentally as no moment is ever too big or too small for him. He works hard and is going to have a great year for us because of how tough he is both mentally and physically." With six minutes to go in the game Boiling Springs capped off a fifty-four-yard drive when quarterback Lincoln Huskey ran for a two-yard touchdown run over the left side for his third score of the game and gave Boiling Springs a 28-21 lead after a Holden Mace extra point, which became a big point before the game ended. Going down a touchdown the Panthers weren't going to go away quietly though as Mathai Scott ran for a four yard touchdown over the right side to put the Bulldogs lead at 28-27. On the ensuing extra point the Bulldogs were able to break through the Chapman line and make a key block to hold onto their lead with just under three minutes to go in the game. "We're young and we're learning how to stay in these games along with winning these games," said Reel. "Tonight, was huge for our confidence and after they scored our kids went and blocked the extra point. That one play just showed you what tonight was all about as our kids fought the whole game." The Panthers forced a Bulldogs punt on the next drive and were poised to make a last attempt to take the lead but that was extinguished on the next play when the Bulldogs Amayjai Boyd made his second interception of the game and the one that effectively ended the game. "Amayjai is one of those kids that was a surprise for us in the spring at how quickly he picked up things and how responsive he was to what we were doing," said Reel. "He's been in a rotation the last few weeks but had to step into a starting role tonight because of injury and came in and played phenomenal. I'm just happy for him because of how he approaches everything." Boyd said that the help from his teammates helped him be able to do his job and he just done what his coach always preaches to them in practice. "On the last interception, my defensive line put good pressure on the quarterback and I just made the play when the ball was in the air," said Boyd. "It felt great making the play, especially on the last one, as my coach always preaches to us that playmakers make plays." Bulldogs quarterback Lincoln Huskey went 10 of 17 for 154 yards with two touchdowns for the Bulldogs while also adding thirty yards on the ground with a score. Spencer Eison led the Bulldogs in receiving with six catches for 88 yards and a score. Coleman Gray led Chapman in passing going 16 of 23 for 192 yards and two scores while adding 44 yards on the ground to lead the Panthers rushing attack. Devin Roe led the Panthers in receiving with seven catches for 122 yards and two scores. While the victory is big for the program, it also marks a significant moment for first year head coach Matt Reel as it's his first win leading the Bulldogs and first win at the 5A level. "It's a special win because it's the first step into turning this program into what we think it should be," said Reel. "The way our kids responded tonight showed to me that the way we're doing this with the whole program is going right as their resolve is changing and their belief in what they can and can't do is changing. To me, that's the reason I do this to see the kids succeed after putting in so much work." Boiling Springs will return to action next week in a home matchup against the #5 team in 5A Hillcrest. Comments are closed.
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