Oh, the things coaches are willing to promise just to win a game.
With his second-ranked Boyd-Buchanan team set to face dangerous Brainerd, Buccaneers football coach Grant Reynolds swore he would dance in the locker room. Moments after the Bucs whipped the visiting Panthers 36-14 Friday night, players broke out their phones to video their leader breaking down the Whip and Nana.
"Twitter is probably going to explode after that," Reynolds joked as he walked away from his celebrating team.
The Bucs offense was often its own worst enemy, with enough dropped passes and mistakes to ruin Reynolds' rhythm, but otherwise was rarely slowed in amassing 306 total yards. Senior running back E.J. Matthews ran for a season-high 124 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, and quarterback Cooper Hodge added 105 yards and a score on 11 carries.
"Those are two seniors who are really good inside runners," Reynolds said of Matthews and Hodge, who each weigh more than 200 pounds. "Our offensive line blocked well for them, and they ran hard."
After a 13-yard punt set the Bucs up at Brainerd's 29 for the opening possession, they needed just five plays to cover that yardage, with Matthews scoring on a 15-yard run.
The Bucs drove deep into Panthers territory on their next two drives, reaching the 22 before penalties and a sack forced them to punt, then driving to the 8 before a fumble gave the ball back to Brainerd. The Bucs had two dropped passes that also stalled drives near midfield late in the second quarter.
The Bucs added to their lead when Asa Owens sacked Panthers quarterback Tevin Walker for a safety. That was part of a strong first three quarters by the Bucs defense, which allowed just 32 yards in the first half.
The Panthers struck for a pair of fourth-quarter scores, including a 79-yard pass on a fake punt.
"I'm not real happy with the big plays we gave up late, but they're a big-play team, and that's what had me worried," Reynolds said. "Otherwise, we did what we're supposed to do defensively."
With the Bucs up 22-0 going into the fourth quarter, Brainerd twice cut the lead to two touchdowns. Each time, though, the Bucs answered with a score of their own.
Matthews ran for 85 yards in the second half, while Hodge gained 77 in the same span.
"It was a little frustrating in the first half to move the ball the way we did but not score more than we did," Matthews said. "We finally started to capitalize in the second half, and you could tell they were wearing down."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.