BE clinches first region title in 9 years

It wasn’t exactly a meal fit for a king. It was more like a feast for a region champion.

 

With his team already qualified for the playoffs, enjoying an open date and waiting to find out its first-round opponent, Bishop England High School football coach Logan Hall spent Friday night with his wife, Molly, and children at their favorite Mexican restaurant. 

 

“We have a standing date,” said Hall, whose team didn’t find out its opponent until later that night as the effects of Hurricane Helene pushed back the regular season a week. “It was a good way to decompress.” 

 

The Bishops have been impressive under Hall, who is in his first year as a head coach after a handful of jobs as an assistant, including offensive coordinator at Pinewood Prep last fall. The team, which won just seven games in three years before his arrival, is 8-2 and celebrating its first region title in nine years. 

 

The Bishops will host South Aiken in the first round of the Class AAAA playoffs at Jack Cantey Stadium on Friday, Nov. 15. A victory would give the Bishops a second-round home game as well. 

 

South Aiken enters the game with a 6-4 record, including 4-3 in Region 4-AAAA. The Thoroughbreds, who have allowed 249 points while scoring 249 on offense, enter the game with a two-game winning streak. 

 

The Bishops bonded under Hall as he stressed brotherhood and commitment from Day 1. He benefited from the transfer of Quinn Mahoney, who was at Oceanside Collegiate as a kicker and wide receiver. Mahoney moved to quarterback at BE and brought the offense to life and the best might be yet to come. The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder is only a junior who will be a contender for all-state honors.

 

Mahoney is coming off a big effort against Colleton County last week when he completed 13 of 26 attempts against the Cougars for a season-high 306 yards. He threw three TD passes and ran for another. 

 

He’s passed for 2,062 yards and 19 TDs on the season. 

 

He’s got three outstanding targets to throw to including Jacob Mackara, Zachary Balog and Nick Brunetti. Balog leads the Bishops with 56 catches for 824 yards and five TDs while recording 37 tackles on defense. Linebacker Fletcher Ethington enters the playoffs with 98 tackles with 13.5 for a loss. 

 

“We’ve played a competitive schedule,” Hall said of the Bishops’ first venture as a Class AAAA team. “We’ve beat some really good teams in our region, and we’ve played against some non-region teams that are talented as well, including Porter-Gaud and Philip Simmons, which won its region. 

 

“There were questions about playing at 4-A, but we accepted it, and weren’t going to use it as an excuse,” the coach said. “This season is a testament to the kids, and the work they put in. Back in the summer, we believed in ourselves and that has played out in a positive way.”