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Scores and Photos of Friday night high school football - Sept. 25
Round one goes to Boyd-Buchanan.
In a game that certainly resembled a battle of heavyweights, Class 2A's second-ranked Boyd-Buchanan beat top-ranked Marion County 21-14 Friday night at David L. Boyd Field in a key Region 3-2A game. As good as both teams are, there is a likelihood of a rematch deep in the playoffs with a lot more than region standings on the line.
The Buccaneers defense was stout throughout the game, holding Marion to 125 rushing yards and fewer than 200 total yards, but came up especially big on the Warriors' final three possessions. That's when the Bucs forced a fumble at their 12, intercepted a pass at the goal line and held on downs at the 14 with just eight seconds remaining.
"It was definitely like two heavyweights exchanging blows," Bucs coach Grant Reynolds said. "I'm proud of our kids for being so resilient and not giving an inch on defense. Offensively, we just kept pounding it at them."
In the span of the past two weeks Boyd-Buchanan (5-0, 3-0) has beaten then-second-ranked Tyner and the top-ranked Warriors to take control of the region and likely earn the right to also host a potential rematch with Marion in the playoffs.
"We've proven ourselves the past two weeks," said Bucs quarterback Cooper Hodge, who threw for 140 yards and one touchdown, ran for 74 yards and another score and rarely came off the field on defense. "We'll probably see them again when it's a lot colder, and it'll be just like this one."
Boyd-Buchanan gained 175 of its 278 rushing yards in the second half and finished with 418 total yards, 222 more than Marion's total. At one point in the second half, on consecutive scoring drives, the Bucs had 14 plays for 161 yards while holding Marion to no offensive yards.
Boyd-Buchanan, which has won seven of the last 10 meetings with Marion, scored first on a 23-yard pass from Hodge to University of Tennessee at Chattanooga commitment Jack Keebler on fourth-and-6. The Warriors evened the score late in the second quarter when Hunter Zeman took a handoff on a jet sweep, then threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Massengale.
The Bucs regained the lead with a nine-play, 61-yard drive, capped by Hodge's 2-yard TD run, but the Warriors (5-1, 2-1) answered with an 83-yard kickoff return for a score by Josh Henderson,
Again the Bucs retook the lead when E.J. Matthews broke free for a 61-yard scoring run late in the third quarter. Matthews, a 215-pound senior, finished with 177 yards on 24 carries.
That only set the stage for a wild fourth quarter, including a 25-minute delay for paramedics to tend to Marion quarterback Logan Walters, who was knocked unconscious. Walters was taken by ambulance from the stadium, but according to one official on the field, he was responding to trainers' commands and had feeling in his extremities.
Marion blocked a 35-yard field-goal try and returned it 30 yards to the Bucs' 45. But the Boyd-Buchanan defense got the ball back when Kohl Henke intercepted a pass at the goal line. After the Bucs were forced to punt, Marion drove from its 45 to the Boyd-Buchanan 9 but was held on a run that lost 5 yards and three incompletions.
"Our offensive line was relentless," Hodge said. "Especially in the second half, our consistency really wore on them."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.