I want the public to see my email. I asked State to release them. They said they will review them for release as soon as possible.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 5, 2015
WARTBURG, Tenn. – Boyd-Buchanan coach Grant Reynolds preached to his team Friday night that it’s always good to be practicing during Thanksgiving week.
The Buccaneers will be one of only four Class 2A teams doing so.
They went on the road Friday and completely dismantled Wartburg Central 34-7 in the quarterfinals to advance to the state final four again. Boyd-Buchanan (9-4) will travel for the third consecutive week, this time a much shorter drive to Signal Mountain, which defeated top-ranked Trousdale County 46-36.
Boyd-Buchanan finished with 325 yards rushing, including 224 in the second half when it wore down the Wartburg defense.
Chase Reed finished with 118 yards and a touchdown to lead Boyd-Buchanan. He also kicked two field goals and four extra points.
“The line blocked well and I was able to follow some blocks into some holes,” Reed said, adding that “the defense did a good job.”
The Bucs defense limited the potent Wartburg attack to 221 yards of total offense, with 87 coming on a pass play from Rusty Phillips to Adam Spencer in the final two minutes with Boyd-Buchanan reserves in the game.
Wartburg had come in averaging more than 30 points per contest but had only six first downs against the Bucs.
“Our defense has continued to get better every week,” Reynolds said. “We hustled, tackled and limited the big plays, so I’m pleased with what they did tonight.”
Bucs freshman quarterback Jim Cardwell was an efficient 7-for-8 for 80 yards, but the attack was smash-mouth football. John Hale and Hayden Meadows also had touchdowns on the ground, and Hale ran for 85 yards while Meadows had 44 as Boyd-Buchanan rushed the ball 56 times.
“We thought we could do some damage on the ground against them,” Reynolds said. “The guys have been getting confidence running the ball because we’re getting better with our blocking.”
Reed got Boyd-Buchanan on the board on the team’s second possession, scoring from 3 yards out after Cardwell had connected with senior receiver Tyler Garner for 37 yards on the previous play.
After a Reed field goal, the Bucs’ Jessie Sessions took a short Wartburg punt and ran 42 yards to the end zone.
“It’s a great feeling,” Reynolds said of the win. “A lot of people thought we wouldn’t get far, but to be in the semifinals is a testament to the guys.
“We want to get back to Cookeville.”
