BE trounces Academic Magnet; Hanahan falls to Cane Bay
The Bishop England football team is 6-0 for the first time in nearly four decades, and, to celebrate, the Bishops are taking this week off.
The Bishops pounded rival Academic Magnet 42-0 Friday night and now have a week to heal those bumps and bruises thanks to an open date.
The Bishops don’t play again until Oct. 7 when they travel to Lake Marion for their first Region 7-AAA game of the year. Coach John Cantey said the open week couldn’t have come at a better time.
“We need it now, it’s been a long stretch,” said Cantey, who led the Bishops to state titles in 2011 and ’12. “We’ve had some injuries, sickness and some concussions, so it’s good to get a rest leading up to region play. The open week came at a good time.”
Friday, Academic Magnet was no match for the Bishops, who dominated the line of scrimmage all night on both sides of the ball.
The Bishops had 340 yards rushing and 41 passing against the Raptors. The BE defense, meanwhile, dominated, allowing Magnet only six first downs and 105 yards in total offense.
“The defense is really playing well as a team,” Cantey said. “They show championship-caliber play at times.”
The 6-0 record is the best since 1977 when the Bishops ran the regular-season table with a 10-0 mark, but lost to James Island in the first round of the playoffs.
Against Academic Magnet, the Bishops took a 14-0 lead after one period and expanded it to 28-0 at halftime.
Quarterback Leo Albano led the Bishops with 125 total yards, including 80 on the ground. He scored the game’s first TD on a 25-yard run and added and 11-yard TD pass to Zach Pampu. Pampu also scored on a 2-yard run and rushed for 81 yards
Senior running back Jack Grooms scored on his only two carries of the night, hitting paydirt from 26 and 35 yards.
Hanahan, meanwhile, was on the wrong end of a 64-39 decision to undefeated Cane Bay. But the Hawks had the right attitude, fighting to the end to make it a game.
The Hawks trailed by only a touchdown after the first quarter, but the Cobras showed why they are one of the state’s top teams as they took command, 30-7, at halftime.
Hanahan’s Jamie Watson returned the second half kickoff 85 yards for a TD to close the gap to 30-14. But Cane Bay responded to take a 44-20 lead after three stops and led 51-26 when Hanahan found new life.
Hawk quarterback Victor Colbert threw two TD passes to cut the lead to 51-39 with just under five minutes to play. But Can Bay held on to go 5-0 for the first time in school history. Hanahan fell to 2-4. Two of the Hawks losses were by seven points or less.
The Hawks, who have lost four of their last five games, begin Region 7-AAA play with a road trip to Manning Friday. They play Timberland at home on Oct. 7.