Bishop England football bounces back, upsets undefeated Woodland, 27-10

It wasn’t exactly gut-check time, but the Bishop England High School football team was in a situation where its mettle faced a test as they prepared to battle the Woodland Wolverines on Sept. 25.

 

The Bishops were flawless with three victories to begin the 2024 season after winning only seven games the past three years. But the Bishops fumbled away chances against Porter-Gaud in Week 4, and it resulted in a 34-14 loss.

 

Woodland was next up and was expected to present a formidable challenge because the Wolverines were playing BE at home and were 4-0 in 2024. The Wolverines always have talent and impressive stats, averaging more than 35 points on offense while allowing just over 11 points on defense entering the clash with the Bishops.

 

But the Bishops showed grit and bounced back from the Porter-Gaud fiasco to post a 27-10 victory in a game that was moved up two days because of the threat from Hurricane Helene. The victory marked the first time since 2017 that the Bishops defeated Woodland, which entered the game with 23 victories in its last 28 games.

 

“We didn’t have a great game last week,” BE coach Logan Hall said. “We didn’t play well and made too many mistakes. But we rebounded and refocused, and it showed.”

 

The Bishops, who stress a mantra of “Brotherhood” are better than past years. Hall, in his first year as coach, has rejuvenated the offense that has become explosive and consistent. He’s helped Quinn Mahoney, a transfer from Oceanside Collegiate Academy, develop into one of the top quarterbacks in the Lowcountry.

 

“He came to us as a kicker and receiver,” Hall said. “But we brought him in as a quarterback, and it’s worked out well.”

 

Mahoney, a 6-foot-3-inch, 185-pound junior, was on target against Woodland, completing 18 of 29 passing attempts for 287 yards and three touchdowns, including an 87-yard score to Zachary Balog. Balog, a 6-3, 165-pound junior, had his biggest game of the season with eight catches for 151 yards for two TDs. Jack Lavelle was also an impressive target with three catches for 52 yards and a TD.

 

Mahoney has completed 70 passes in 125 attempts for 916 yards and nine TDs this season. He keeps defenses honest with his legs, rushing for 196 yards rushing and another four scores.

 

Senior running back Nate Anderson provided the tough yards against Woodland with 38 yards on 18 carries. He’s compiled 332 yards on the ground on 81 attempts.

 

The Bishops are playing at the Class AAAA level for the first time, a result of the South Carolina High School League using an enrollment multiplier to level the playing field against schools that have a perceived advantage in attracting students. That means the Bishops might be outnumbered student-wise against the teams in Region 6-AAAA, but they are ready for the test.

 

The Bishops begin conference play with home games against Hilton Head on Oct. 4 and May River on Oct. 11.