Bulldogs cruise with a 54-14 victory

NEWBERRY — The Bulldogs went into the first round of the playoffs as one of the teams that is favored to win it in 3A and they proved why in their first round matchup. Newberry(11-0, 4-0 region 4-AAA) cruised to a 54-14 win against Aynor(3-8,1-4 region 5-AAA) on Friday, Nov. 7th at home.

The first round matchup went just about how the experts predicted it to go. The Bulldogs dominated for majority of the game and scored a bunch of points in the process like they have done all season.

The first quarter was a defensive battle between both teams as they both exchanged turnovers. The Blue Jackets got the first turnover of the game to give themselves early momentum. Kenton Caldwell made a rare mistake and was intercepted on the Bulldogs opening offensive drive.

The visiting Blue Jackets took advantage of the turnover and turned it into points. They used their rushing attack to score on the goal line and take an early 6-0 lead after failing on the two-point conversion attempt.

The Bulldogs would immediately answer on the next drive for a quick score. Senior quarterback Kenton Caldwell found Jamere Crooks for a 21-yard touchdown pass. They would make the extra point and take a 7-6 lead into the second quarter.

The second period started off with Aynor possessing the ball and they went on another long drive powered by their rushing attack. The visitors break a long 27-yard run to score and reclaim the lead. The Blue Jackets were successful on the two-point conversion attempt and held a 14-7 in the early parts of the second period.

Newberry would again answer immediately with a quick answer. Caldwell found Cash Brown through the air for a big play that put them in the red zone. Then, senior running back BJ Jones punched it home on the ground with a one-yard rushing touchdown. The Bulldogs would tied the game on the made extra point, 14-14.

The home team’s defense would make a stop and force the punt to get the ball back to their hot offense. The Bulldogs would use their passing attack to drive the ball down the field. Caldwell found Jamel Howe for a long gain to put the ball on their opponent’s 34-yard line. Caldwell then decided to keep it himself for a 27-yard rushing touchdown to give his squad their first lead of the game, 21-14.

The Bulldogs’ defense came up with another huge play on their defensive series as they forced a fumble and senior linebacker Julian Senn recovered the fumble. The offense would strike quickly again as Caldwell found the speedster Brown for another long gain through the air. Then, Caldwell kept it himself again for a 12-yard rushing touchdown.

Newberry would take a 28-14 lead into halftime. The home team received the ball first after halftime, but couldn’t get any points to extend their lead. Jones decided to take matters into his own hands and ripped off a 21-yard rushing touchdown on their second drive to extend their lead, 34-14.

Then, the home team were able to put the Blue Jackets to bed late in the third quarter as Caldwell found Crooks for a 42-yard touchdown pass to give them a 41-14 lead. Kilmarian Davis made a huge interception on the next defensive series to keep the momentum with the home team.

Newberry took a 41-14 lead into the fourth quarter and cruised in the final quarter. Backup quarterback Sincere Glymph and Chance MacDermott both scored rushing touchdowns for the Bulldogs to add to their lead. Caldwell finished with four total touchdowns, two passing and two rushing. Crooks had over 100 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions.

Now, Newberry will turn their focus to the second round matchup against Hanahan. They will be back at Mike Ware Field for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff this Friday, Nov. 14th.