Iron Horses one win away from home field advantage in playoffs
Casual football fans might not realize it, but special teams can account for one-third of the plays in a typical game.
If you need proof, head out to Philip Simmons High School where coach Eric Bendig’s practices focus on kickoffs, punts, field goals, extra points, punt returns, kickoff returns and, of course, offense and defense.
On Oct. 24, all that practice led to near perfection. The Iron Horses blocked two punts that led to 13 points, and Griffin Gore booted a field goal as the Iron Horses blanked Hanahan 22-0 in a Region 8-AAA showdown at Wiley Knight Stadium.
“It was a heckuva win,” Bendig said after his team upped its record to 6-3, including 2-1 in region play. “Special teams were a huge part of the win. We challenged the team to make special teams the X-Factor.”
If that was the case, then Iron Horses’ Michael Spignardo was the X-Man.
Spignardo blocked two punts in a span of about two minutes at the beginning of the second quarter that changed the complexion of the game.
Spignardo’s first blocked punt gave the Iron Horses the ball on the Hawks 24. Two plays later, Eric Schimpf scored on a 12-yard run to make it 6-0.
It was almost a case of déjà vu as Spignardo blocked another punt and recovered the ball in the endzone for a touchdown to push the lead to 13-0.
Gore kicked a 28-yard field goal to make it 16-0 in the third quarter, and Sharod Williams showcased his speed and power with an impressive 42-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring.
The Iron Horses churned for 228 yards on the ground. Williams carried seven times for 84 yards and Schimpf tallied 72 yards on 13 attempts.
Hanahan, which entered the game ranked in the top 10 in the state poll of Class AAA teams, never recovered.
The victory had huge playoff implications as the Iron Horses improved to 6-3, 2-1. Hanahan fell to 6-2, 2-1 and travel to face region leader Beaufort who is 7-3, 3-0.
Philip Simmons will host Battery Creek in the regular-season finale. The game has been moved to Thursday, Oct. 27, because of a shortage of officials in the Lowcountry. The Dolphins are 3-6, 1-2.
A victory over Battery Creek would give the Iron Horses a home date in the first round of the playoffs.
BE football
Meanwhile, Bishop England’s offensive woes continued Oct. 24 as Oceanside Collegiate Academy handed the Bishops a 36-0 loss in Region 7-AA play.
Bishop England lost its eighth straight game to fall to 1-8, including 0-3 in the league. The loss was the fourth time in six games the Bishops failed to enter the scoring column.
The defense has played well this fall, allowing only 178 points in nine games. But the Bishops have scored only 66 points all season and only 37 points during the losing streak.
The Bishops host Academic Magnet on Friday, Oct. 28, at Jack Cantey Stadium in the regular-season finale. The Raptors enter the clash with a 5-3 record, including 0-3 in league play. The winner will qualify for the playoffs.