SIMPSONVILLE, SC - In a clash of two teams ranked in the top-eleven of high school teams in the 5A ranks of South Carolina, a defensive battle between the Boiling Springs Bulldogs and the Hillcrest Rams saw the home team Rams capture a 21-6 victory over the visiting Bulldogs.
Boiling Springs had their opportunities to take command of the game but just couldn't find the endzone because of mistakes but the defense kept them right in the game. Bulldogs head coach Matt Reel said the offensive struggles were on him as his team wasn't prepared to succeed against the Rams. "Our defense played well enough that we should have been in the game but offensively we didn't," said Reel. "That falls on me more than anybody else but we had probably the worst week of practice we've had this year during the week leading up to this game and today we saw the results of that as we preach that how we practice translates into how we play on gameday. I told the guys that this loss is on me because I didn't get them ready for this game offensively but we're going to get it fixed and be better next week." Hillcrest got the first score of the game on a fourth-and-one play at the Bulldogs 42-yard line when running back Avery McFadden took a direct snap over the right side of the line to put the Rams ahead 7-0 over the Bulldogs. Boiling Springs responded with just four minutes to go in the second quarter when quarterback Lincoln Huskey found wide receiver Tristian Horsey-Johnson on a post route to the middle of the field for a 37-yard touchdown to cut the Hillcrest lead to 7-6 after a missed extra point, which was the score as the two teams went into halftime. Hillcrest pushed their lead to 14-6 when McFadden struck again for a five-yard touchdown run over the left side of the line with just over two minutes to go in the third quarter. The final score of the game came with just under three minutes to go in the game when McFadden found the endzone for the third time when he took a screen pass from quarterback Kaleb Sutton 41-yards down the left sideline to push the lead to 21-6 over the Bulldogs. While the Bulldogs didn't get the win, they got a strong effort on the defensive side of the ball which was led by senior defensive lineman Calvin Jackson as he finished the game with seven tackles, two sacks, an interception, and a deflection. "Calvin is a kid that has been fun watching him grow," said Reel. "He's starting to become more of a leader and become more vocal. He's always made plays but it's fun seeing him grow into that leadership role and him having an impact on the other guys." Jackson wasn't the only player with a strong effort on defense as JoJo Barrett led the Bulldogs in tackles with eight tackles while Kohen Sloand ended the game with six tackles and a forced fumble. "Our defense played well and when you only give up 21 points in a high school game that should be enough to give you a chance to win," said Reel. "Our goal is to score at least 35 points every week and we had too many mistakes on offense tonight and that's just the way it is, we just didn't play well on offense." Avery McFadden combined for 131 yards and three touchdowns with 58 yards on the ground and 73 yards receiving for Hillcrest on Friday night. Boiling Springs was led on offense by quarterback Lincoln Huskey who threw for 171 yards and a touchdown on 16 of 38 passing. He also led the team in rushing going for 50 yards on nine attempts. Tristian Horsey-Johnson led the Bulldogs in receiving with four receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown. Eli Mobley had the most catches for the Bulldogs bringing in five receptions for 40 yards on Friday night. With the loss the Bulldogs record moves to 2-2 on the season and they will look to rebound next week at home as they host Greer who fell to Byrnes 49-13 on Friday night. Comments are closed.
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