Boyd Buchanan defeated Knoxville Webb 28-21 Friday night in a clash between teams from the Division II-AA East Region.
The Buccaneers improved to 3-0 for the 2019 season. That gave them more wins than the previous two seasons combined.
After celebrating a long-overdue region victory with his team, first-year Bucs coach Jeremy Bosken wiped a mixture of sweat and Gatorade from his eyes with a huge grin on his face.
"With the effort and the attitude and the atmosphere, I'm just happy for this Boyd family and that those boys can step off the field together tonight victorious," Bosken said. "The seniors are buying into the coaching and the workout program, and it's turning things around."
A quick pace of play on offense helped the Bucs set the tone early and take a quick lead, with running back Matthew Stone capping off a 14-play, 77-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run on their first possession. The teams took turns trading scores for most of the night.
Bucs quarterback Eli Morris completed big plays out of the pocket to match the Spartans blow for blow. With a total of eight offside penalties going against Boyd Buchanan, Morris scrambled and passed his way out of long third-down situations. His first touchdown came on a 73-yard strike to receiver JaMichael McGoy that sailed over two Spartans defenders. His second score was off a 12-yard quarterback keeper to tie the game into halftime, and his third-quarter 17-yard lob to Preston Edmonson secured the Bucs' win.
Senior running back Grissim Anderson impressed on offense for the Spartans. He was involved with each of Webb's touchdowns: He scored on a 68-yard kickoff return, recorded an 8-yard rushing touchdown and completed a 50-yard pass to tight end Luc Nadaud for a score.
Contact Justin Dempsey at sports@timesfreepress.com.