Bishops, Iron Horses clinch region titles, head to playoffs

If you hear Queen’s monster hit from the 1970s – “We are the Champions” – blaring on Daniel Island this week, there’s a good chance it might have something to do with the island’s high school football teams. 

 

Bishop England and Philip Simmons captured championships in Region 6-AAAA and Region 6-AA, respectively, on Nov. 1. 

 

The Bishops walloped Colleton County 35-6. That win, combined with a May River loss, gave the Bishops their first region title since 2015. 

 

The Iron Horses claimed their second region title in their brief history with a 50-22 victory at Andrews. Both schools will be a No. 1 seed when the state playoffs commence Nov. 15. The postseason was pushed back a week because of Hurricane Helene.

 

Bishop england 35, Colleton County 6

The Bishops’ win in Walterboro capped an amazing turnaround under first-year coach Logan Hall. 

 

The Bishops showed great improvement on both sides of the ball in the regular season, scoring 26.5 points per game while allowing only 15.8 points. 

 

The Bishops, who own an 8-2 record, including 4-1 in the league, received a big boost when Quinn Mahoney transferred in. He completed 50 percent of his 26 passing attempts against the Cougars for a season-high 306 yards. He threw three TD passes and ran for another. 

 

That effort pushed his season totals to 2,062 yards passing and 19 TDs. He’s scored six TDs on the ground. 

 

Junior Zachary Balog was on the receiving end of six completions for 128 yards and a TD. He also returned an interception for a score. 

 

Nick Brunetti caught four passes for 85 yards and a score and Jacob Mackara caught three passes for 93 yards and a TD. 

 

The Bishops, who own a three-game winning streak, will be at home on Nov. 15 for a first-round game. Their opponent will be determined as the regular season concludes this weekend for some teams because of Helene.

 

Philip simmons 55, Andrews 22

Philip Simmons added its second region title in its seven-year varsity history with a big road win that pushed its winning streak to six games. 

 

The Iron Horses have outscored foes 238-65 during the streak that began after a 21-14 loss to BE in Week 4. 

 

Andrews jumped to an 8-7 lead at the end of one stop, but the Iron Horses rallied to take a 21-16 lead at halftime and never looked back. 

 

Quarterback Tavien Orellana directed an offense that churned for 458 total yards. He completed passes to eight different receivers and finished with 17 completions in 18 attempts for 242 yards and three TDs. 

 

Tavaris Walker rushed 15 times for 74 yards and a pair of touchdowns while Jeremiah Richardson tallied 61 yards on only four carries. Darriel Porcher added 51 yards. 

 

Brody Tonon led the defense with 12 tackles, including two for a loss while Daniel Scarth recorded 11 stops with two tackles for a loss. 

 

The Iron Horses will host Mullins in the first round of the Class AA playoffs on Nov. 15.