NEWBERRY — Newberry was pushed to their limits, but overcame it in the second half and are still dancing. The Bulldogs(12-0, 4-0 region 4-AAA) defeats Hanahan(6-6, 2-2 region 6-AAA) 41-21 behind a dominate second half performance on defense and BJ Jones five rushing touchdowns to advance to the 3A Quarterfinals round.
It was a cold fall night at Mike Ware Field on the second weekend in November which means it was perfect playoffs football weather. More than the cold weather gave the Newberry fans the chills because the Hawks gave the Bulldogs a fight in the first half.
Newberry got the ball to start the game and they went right down the field to take the early lead. Kenton Caldwell found one of his favorite targets Jamere Crooks for a 35-yard touchdown reception to get the Bulldogs’ drive started. Jones then broke a 34-yard touchdown run to give the undefeated Bulldogs a 7-0 lead in the early parts of the first quarter.
Hanahan wasn’t backing down and came with their hard hats ready to get to work. They went on a long drive powered by their rushing attack to tie the game. The Hawks had a 15 play drive that started inside their own 25, took a little over seven minutes off the game clock and ended with a one-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game at 7-7.
The Hawks’ coaching staff decided to take a chance on the kickoff and kick it low to give the Bulldogs’ return team a hard time catching the ball. Well, it worked and they were able to recover and now had a short field. They were able to quickly get back on the scoreboard with a short 10-yard touchdown pass to go up 14-7 after the made extra point.
Newberry went into the second quarter trailing 14-7, but were able to quickly respond in the early parts of the second quarter. Jones continued his big night and scored his second rushing touchdown of the evening. The 29-yard touchdown run tied the game at 14-14 after the made extra point.
The Bulldogs’ defense finally figured out the Hawks’ offense after they dominated the first quarter. Junior defensive back Kilmarian Davis intercepted a deep pass and took all the way back for a touchdown. Unfortunately, it was called back due to a block in the back penalty. Regardless, the Bulldogs had a huge momentum shifting play and of course they took full advantage of it.
Caldwell put his team in the red zone on a long 62-yard run that almost went the distance. Jones finished the drive off with an 11-yard touchdown run for his third of the night and the first half. Newberry missed the extra point but led 20-14 halfway through the second quarter.
Hanahan wasn’t done fighting and immediately answered the touchdown with one of their own on their very next offensive drive. This time it wasn’t a long drive, but instead a quick three play drive. The Hawks broke a 79-yard run that went the distance to give them the lead back after the made extra point, 21-20.
The two teams exchanged punts, but Newberry had one final possession in the first half. They moved the ball and set themselves up for a hail mary attempt. Freshman quarterback Sincere Glymph entered the game for the final attempt, but it was intercepted to end the half.
Newberry trailed at the half for only the second time this season. The visiting Hawks received the ball first after halftime, but couldn’t get anything going on their first offensive drive and were forced to punt.
The Bulldogs couldn’t get anything going on their first offensive drive of the second half either, but of course they eventually figured it out. They went on a long drive powered by their rushing attack late in the third quarter to reclaim the lead. Jones punched it home in the red zone for his fourth rushing touchdown of the night. They found themselves leading 27-20 going into the final quarter.
The home team flexed their muscles in the fourth quarter and took complete control of the game. The Bulldogs; defense came up with another huge stop and Caldwell drove it right down the field to extend their lead. He scored on a 10-yard rushing touchdown to make it 34-21 on the scoreboard in favor of the Bulldogs.
Hanahan felt the pressure and needed a score to stay alive in the game, but Newberry’s defense made another impact play. They forced a fumble after the Hawks starting quarterback attempted to scramble on a key third down but was chased down from behind and Dontavias Griffin recovered the ball. The Bulldogs’ defensive line took over the game in the second half.
“That’s my position group. I went back to coaching the D-line after not coaching them for a few years. They’ve gotten better every single week and I am extremely proud of them. I challenged them to dominate,” said Bulldogs’ head coach Cedrick Jeter. “They don’t get a lot of the headlines and a lot of people don’t talk about our front, but I challenged them to be the best front in the state because they have that kind of potential. It was simple going into the second half because I told them, ‘it’s on us! We are the best unit on the team and in the state so we have to play that way in the second half.’ And they did!”
Newberry attacked quickly and finally hit a big pass play. Jason Dunbar made a spectacular 34-yard catch to put them into the red zone. Jones, like he did all night, punched it home for 11-yard touchdown run. He finished the night with 22 attempts for 190 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.
Jones senior season didn’t go as planned due to an ankle injury early in the season that sideline him for several weeks. He still wasn’t fully healthy when he returned late in the season and his backup Ty Abrams was having a breakout year, but Jones persevered and had his best game ever in his high school career.
“That’s a tough position to be in as a player and I’ve been there as a player but the biggest thing we tried to do is was we kept patting BJ on the back. We understand the work he has put in and what he means to this program. He is a guy we care about a lot and made sure we put our arms around him,” said Jeter.
“We hugged him a lot and made sure we talked to him while he was out during his injury. He saw Ty playing but the great thing about them is that they have a great relationship and so Ty would’ve took a step back to let BJ have the role because he is a senior. They are just those kind of kids but our big thing was to take care of BJ because he’s had a rough season. Now, its time to get them to the championship and we are taking it one game at a time. Hopefully he gets five touchdowns next week too.”
Newberry will now turn their focus to undefeated Loris int he 3A Quarterfinals. Please come out to Mike Ware Field on Friday, Nov. 21st at 7:30 p.m. to support the local student-athletes.