Both Boyd-Buchanan and Whitwell came into their season-opening football game Friday night planning to control the clock with downhill running attacks, but it was Whitwell that made that plan work. The Tigers won 36-0 over the host Buccaneers at David L. Boyd Stadium.
The Tigers running game led by Trayce Condra and Hudson Petty amassed more than 200 yards on nearly 40 carries, while quarterback Warner Ashworth pitched in with two passing touchdowns on just nine attempts.
Despite the big offensive showing, however, first-year head coach Randall Boldin was more impressed with his stifling defense.
"Any time you shut somebody out you have to be proud," Boldin said after his first win as a head coach. "I coached on the defensive side of the ball for a long time, and I think that helped our coaching staff come out with a great game plan tonight, and that put us in great position to do what we did."
The lopsidedness began early in the second quarter when the Tigers' Josh Wingo caught a short screen pass from Ashworth and danced his way through defenders and into the end zone 32 yards later for his team's first score of the young season. On their very next possession, they used seven plays to drive just 42 yards for a touchdown and two-point conversion.
Petty took the second half's opening kickoff back 72 yards, adding to the momentum.
The arguable deciding blow came just before the final quarter of play when Wingo ran in a score from 10 yards out and the Bucs fumbled on the very next play. The Tigers then took just one play to execute a 26-yard passing score from Ashworth to Petty for the 23-0 lead.
"We've been preparing for a game like this all summer," Ashworth said. "We're a good running team with a lot of guys who can carry it, and when we need to pass we're confident, too. Whatever the coaches call, we know we're going to run the play well."
The Tigers added two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and continued the great defense.
"I think the scoreboard was accurate of what happened," Boyd-Buchanan coach Carter Cardwell said. "It showed how they executed some things very well and how solid they are offensively and defensively. They were very physical, but we thought they'd be, but in the end I told the kids that I still love this football team - and how much we have to learn and grow from tonight so they can answer back from this."
Boyd-Buchanan was held to under 30 yards on 19 carries and failed to complete a pass in four attempts.
Contact John Mitchell at sports@timesfreepress.com