BE tops Georgetown, 34-7
The conditions are exactly what a coach hopes for when they hold the first practice of the season on a late summer day when comfort level tops more than 100 degrees. Bishop England will host Manning on Friday, Nov. 1, on what should be a crisp autumn night.
Everything is at stake as both teams enter the tussle at Jack Cantey Stadium with undefeated 4-0 Region 7-AAA records on the line. The Bishops topped Georgetown 34-17 last Friday to set up a showdown.
The winner gets more than a championship trophy. The victors in the clash will be at home the first three rounds of the playoffs, which commence next weekend. The Class AAA state championship will be held Dec. 7 at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.
Philip Simmons also closes out the regular season with plenty at stake with Burke coming to town. The winner of that game will clinch third place and get a home playoff game for the first round.
Oceanside Collegiate has the region championship wrapped up and Timberland will finish second. Philip Simmons, 2-6 overall, and Burke are 1-3 in league play.
Philip Simmons is coming off an open date after suffering the worst loss in school history, 70-0 to Oceanside Collegiate on Oct. 18.
Bishop England enters Friday’s game with a 6-2 record. Coach John Cantey knew the Bishops would experience success this fall after taking lumps last fall due to inexperience.
The Bishops’ losses are non-conference: Timberland and Woodland. Cantey thought his team might split the two games, but the Bishops fell to both teams, which are talented, fast and well-coached.
That’s Cantey’s description of Manning: athletic and well-coached.
“They are big,” Cantey said. “They are always big and athletic. We just have to step up and deal with them for the entire game. I think it will be a back-and-forth game.”
The Bishops haven’t won a region title since 2015 and will need a similar effort like the Georgetown performance. The Bishops struck early against the Bulldogs, who fell to 2-6, 1-3. They took the opening kickoff and marched 65 yards in nine plays for the game’s first score: a 14-yard pass from Cam Costa to Sullivan Clair.
The Bishops recovered an onside kick and Nick DeFazio kicked a 24-yard field goal. The Bishops made it 17-0 with 2:32 left in the first quarter when quarterback Costa hooked up again with Clair for a 9-yard TD pass. The duo was dynamic as they teamed up for four TD passes.
The Bishops dominated the scoreboard, but the game was closer statistically: BE gained 258 total yards to Georgetown’s 216 yards. But Georgetown turned the ball over two times and couldn’t convert five fourth-down situations.
Costa completed 13 of 27 passes for 188 yards and four touchdowns. He hooked up with Clair for a 52-yard TD pass in the third quarter and a 12-yard touchdown in the final stanza.
Michael Long led Bishop England with 91 yards rushing on 20 carries. He accounted for the Bishops’ other score, a 42-yard run.