It was midgame, and Boyd Buchanan’s offense was at midfield when sophomores Max Bates and Coleman Smith made a connection that got the Buccaneers moving toward the end zone and a satisfying end result.
On a third-and-14 play, Bates was facing heat from the Knoxville Grace defense and forced to backpedal outside the pocket. He hung in, though, and despite being off-balance, threw a strike to Smith after the tight end saw his quarterback in trouble and sprinted open toward the home sideline to get open for a 20-yard catch.
One play later, Bates bootlegged to the other sideline and found Smith open yet again for a leaping grab on a 15-yard pass to get the Bucs in the red zone.
Those plays highlighted a 13-play, 68-yard scoring drive to begin the second half as Boyd Buchanan broke a 7-all tie on the way to a 35-14 victory in a TSSAA Division II-AA East Region matchup on homecoming Friday night.
(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night’s Chattanooga-area prep football games)