Greer SC- As the afternoon showers dissipated and the clouds parted in the sky over Dooley Field, another season of High School Football began for Boiling Springs and Greer as the Bulldogs defeated the Yellow Jackets by a final score of 23 to 18.
Recap
What turned out to be a tight game in the end was anything but at the start. Boiling Springs, still evaluating their QB battle for the upcoming season and managing injuries to both (Logan on the opening drive of the game, Kahl in the last scrimmage game), played Imri Logan and Josh Kahl in alternating drives (Logan started the game). Logan led the Bulldog offense down the field on the opening possession, taking 5 minutes and 5 seconds off the clock and capping it with a field goal from Presten Reel to make it 3-0.
Greer was unable to settle things down offensively at the start, leading to an early punt and another quick Boiling Springs possession. This time, Kahl would lead a drive of his own, working his way in short order to the 11 yard line where Running Back Kyron Tober would take care of the rest as he hit pay dirt to put the Bulldogs up 10 to 0 late in the first.
Greer kept the score at 10-0 heading into the second quarter, where they mounted their first trip to opposing territory, only to be met with a fourth and long. It was here where Sophomore Yellow Jackets QB Dawson Fowler tried to make something out of nothing, only to instead find Bulldog Defensive Back Jamarcus Means stepping in front of his throw and bringing the intercepted pass back across mid field.
The Yellow Jacket defense kept the Bulldogs off the score board again, due in part to a blocked field goal attempt by the special teams unit, but deep in their own zone, the Yellow Jackets offense would turn the ball over again. This time however, it would prove to be more costly as Defensive Back Tyvion Hall would nab the pass and slice his way through the field and into the endzone from 35 yards out to make it a 17-0 lead.
The Bulldogs would add one more score in the first half as Kahl found Wide Receiver Deion Suber down the field for a 25 yard touchdown strike to take a 23-0 lead (PAT was no good) to the locker room.
Staring down a 23-0 deficit, Coach Will Young and his Yellow Jackets came out of the locker room with a new demeanor. Defensively they shut out the Bulldogs in the 2nd half, aided by an impressive performance by Paden Armstrong, who hounded the Bulldog offence, chipped in a sack and 3 other tackles to keep the QB duo in check. It was also Armstrong who got Greer’s first score of the game, a fumble scoop and score from 17 yards out, awakening the crowd of Yellow Jacket fans in the process. A blocked extra point was par for the course in a game where both sides had special teams struggles in the muddy field conditions.
As both teams traded defensive stops, highlighted by a 3rd interception of the game (this time from Jase Seesholtz), Greer’s offense started to jump to life in the 4th quarter. Fowler, utilizing his legs, ripped off big runs to drag the Yellow Jackets down the field. Fowler then went back to the air, this time hitting Receiver Tucker Hudson (who made a tough catch against the DB) from 28 yards out to cut the lead to 23-12 (mishandled PAT was not converted) with 3 minutes to go.
After finding success through their balanced offense in the first half, the Bulldogs were sent off the field with a 3 and out, giving the Yellow Jackets another chance to cut into the lead late in the game. Fowler would make good on this opportunity, working quickly down field and finding the endzone himself on a 15 yard scramble to make it 23 to 18 with only a 1 minute and 1 second remaining. In what proved to be a pivotal defensive play, the Bulldog defense was able to intercept the 2 point try from Fowler to keep the lead at 5.
Faced with only 47 seconds left, the Greer kicking unit came on to attempt an onside kick, an attempt that would take two tries to pull off. On the second attempt, the Yellow Jackets would come out of the scrum with the ball and one last chance to win the football game. This would be as close as it got though as the Yellow Jacket offense found their way to just outside the opposing 30 yard line before time ran out on their comeback attempt.
What’s Next
The Boiling Springs Bulldogs and Head Coach Matt Reel will take their opening night win and travel to Mauldin next week. After losing 27 seniors from last year’s roster, Boiling Springs will continue to evaluate its much younger squad. Both quarterbacks showed poise and command of the offense in different styles of play, Logan working outside the pocket and on the run and Kahl taking more shots downfield. On the other side of the ball, the defensive line kept the Greer running backs in check and created problems for Fowler all night long.
The Greer Yellow Jackets will look to build off their second half resurgence and travel to Belton-Honea Path next week. Fowler’s progression will be telling going forward. In the second half of this game, he made quick decisions to tuck the ball and run, leading to scoring drives in the fourth quarter. Balance on offense will be key going forward. On the other side of the ball, the Yellow Jackets will have things they like to see on tape from their defensive line. Armstrong and company got better as the night progressed, making their second half comeback a possibility.
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