Like a well versed debate, Silverdale Academy and Boyd Buchanan alternated talking points, point and counterpoint for 48 minutes Friday night with an overflow crowd taking it in at Boyd Buchanan's Buccaneers Stadium in a matchup of DII 2A East region foes, both with long playoff visions in their futures.
But as has been the case since Gary Rankin set up camp on the Bucs' campus three years ago, the state's all-time winningest coach almost always has an answer in the end.
The second-ranked Bucs fired an opening salvo that would end most debates. The Bucs bolted to a 28-0 lead in the first 18 minutes, only to watch the Seahawks pull within five points late before Boyd Buchanan salted it away with a deciding scoring drive with 1:29 left to secure the 41-29 victory, the Bucs' 16th straight regular season win.
But it took that final drive and three perfectly executed trick plays to get Boyd Buchanan to 5-0 on the season and keep its DII 2A East slate perfect at 3-0.
"We had opportunities. It came down to who responded, and I thought we responded well, but in the end they had the response that mattered when the game was on the line," said Silverdale coach Mike Connor in the aftermath.
Boyd Buchanan used a short field right off the bat in the opening quarter, going 30 yards in five plays, scoring on a perfectly executed hook and lateral pass from the 17. Quarterback Houston Hicks hit Brodie Lowe at the Silverdale 7 on a quick in, and Lowe pitched it to a speeding Sebastain Jones who went untouched the rest of the way with the lateral to in the first of several quirky twists in this game.
The Bucs and Rankin are known for their ground and pound game, but Silverdale was more than up to the task of cutting off that avenue, so it was a combination of Hicks precision passing and the usage of the back pages of the playbook which got the Bucs rolling.
After holding the Seahawks on down, the Bucs again used a short field to cover 38 yards for the second score, with Hicks lofting a perfect 30-yard strike to Hudson Wamack for a 14-0 lead. After a 3-and-out stop, Boyd Buchanan ran a slick reverse which Darin Shannon weaved 59 yards to the house and it was 21-0 with 7:05 left before half.
A Silverdale fumble set up a third short field, and the Bucs needed just one lay to make it 28-0 as Jayden Moore streaked past the Seahawks secondary and hauled in Hicks 37-yard score as the Silverdale crowd wasn't quite sure what hit them. But, boy how they responded that point forward once they got the mic.
A 65-yard pass from Connoe Jenne to Cannon Rogers set the Seahawks just outside the 10, but two straight incompletions in the end zone ended the threat. A bad snap set the Bucs back near the goal line, though, and a host of Silverdale tacklers swarmed a wildcat snap to the back and tackled him in the end zone to give the visitors life and make it 28-2. The ensuing free kick set Silverdale up at its own 43, and a fake punt converted a fourth down try when Tanner Bayne rambled 16 yards with a direct snap. Then with just 21 seconds before the half, Jenne completed a fourth down toss which Boone Perry went up over a defender to haul in for a TD and it was 28-8 at the break.
Silverdale (3-2) brought its new found life back with it after the break, stopping the Bucs on a fourth down try near midfield, and then 49 yards in 10 plays as Jenne kept it from the 1 to close it to 28-15. On the ensuing kickoff, Oliver Vera scooped up a fumble and returned it for the Seahawks second score in nine seconds and all of a sudden it was a one score game at 28-22.
Both squads scored in the fourth period, the Bucs using a halfback pass from David Green to Wamack that covered 77 yards, and Silverdale answered with an 80-yard drive culminating with Landon Deitch's four-yard run to set up the final 6:20 down just 35-29.
"Sometimes you just have to find a way to win. We made plenty of mistakes, but I'm a perfectionist. We did a good job getting our speed guys in spaces with some of our plays, but I'm disappointed we didn't handle the line of scrimmage better than we did. Sometimes, though, when you don't do something good, it's the other team doing things good that is the problem," said Rankin, tipping his hat to Silverdale's defense.
"We got the late score in the fourth, and I'm proud of them for taking charge late when it mattered. I thought Hicks pitched it around well, and we got it done," he added.
They got it done with eight straight running plays to drive it 75 yards and put it away when Green converted a key third down play with a 19-yard scoring jaunt at the 1:29 mark and Jones intercepted a pass to seal it.
Hicks wound up 10 of 14 for 175 yards with Wamack hauling in six of them for 139 yards. Green finished with 54 rushing yards on 11 carries, Jones added 49 on 10 and Shannon had 64 on his two totes, but the run game was held to 100 yards before the final drive.
"Silverdale is a really good team, and we had to take advantage of some looks we got. I just feel we have taken it to another level with our passing game. A lot of chemistry with those guys, guys I've played with my whole life," said Hicks of the game.
Silverdale was led by Deitch with his 121 rushing yards on 27 carries and Rogers caught eight passes for 121 more yards as the Seahawks outgained Boyd Buchanan 383-350 in total yards. Jenne was 16 of 25 for 218 and Perry added 70 yards his three catches.
Lincoln Meshell and Briar Bancroft were monsters on defense for Silverdale while K'leb Crowder, Jones and Green led the Buc defensive effort.
GAME SUMMARY
|
SILVERDALE ACADEMY
|
0
|
8
|
14
|
7
|
--29
|
|
BOYD BUCHANAN
|
7
|
21
|
0
|
13
|
-- 41
|
BB -- Sebastain Jones 10 lateral run (Ethan Lane Kick) (8:07, 1st)
BB -- Hudson Wamack 30 pass from Houston Hicks (Ethan Lane kick) (10:18, 2nd)
BB -- Darin Shannon 59 run (Ethan Lane kick) (7:05, 2nd)
BB -- Jayden Moore 37 pass from Houston Hicks (Ethan Lane kick) (5:49, 2nd)
SA -- safety, tackled in end zone (3:12, 2nd)
SA -- Boone Perry 30 pass from Connor Jenne (run failed) (0:21, 2nd)
SA -- Connor Jenne 1 run (Jack Mauser kick) (7:35, 3rd)
SA -- Oliver Vela 8 yard fumble return (Jack Mauser kick) (7:26, 3rd)
BB -- Hudson Wamack 77 pass from David Green (pass failed) (9:32, 4th)
SA -- Landon Deitch 4 run (Jack Mauser kick) (6:20, 4th)
BB -- David Green 19 run (Ethan Lane kick) (1:29, 4th)
|
STATS
|
SA
|
BB
|
|
First Downs
|
15
|
17
|
|
Rushes-Yards
|
42-165
|
43-175
|
|
Passing Yards
|
218
|
247
|
|
Total yards
|
383
|
350
|
|
Passing (Comp-Att-Int)
|
16-25-1
|
11-15-0
|
|
Punts-Average
|
4-28.25
|
1-20.0
|
|
Fumbles-Lost
|
2-1
|
2-0
|
|
Penalties-Yards
|
6-55
|
10-60
|
Individual Stats
RUSHING: Landon Deitch 27-121, Tate Standifer 10-47, Tanner Bayne 1-16, Brandon Bowers 1-4, Connor Jenne 3-(-23) (SA); Darin Shannon 2-64, David Green 11-54, Sabastain Jones 10-49, Jeri Young 2-9, Jayden Moore 1-5, K'leb Crowder 2-2, Houston Hicks 2-(-8) (BB).
PASSING: Connor Jenne 16-25-1 218 yards (SA); Houston Hicks 10-14-0 218 yards, David Green 1-1-0 77 yards (BB).
RECEIVING: Cannon Rogers 8-121, Boone Perry 3-70, Oliver Vera 2-15, Tanner Bayne 2-14, Landon Deitch 1-(-2) (SA); Hudson Wamack 6-139, Jayden Moore 3-96, Brodie Lowe 1-7, Sabastain Jones 1-5 (BB).
RECORDS: Silverdale Academy 3-2, (2-1 DII 2A East), Boyd Buchanan (5-0, 3-0 DII 2A East).
UP NEXT: Boyd Buchanan will travel to Chattanooga Christian and Silverdale Academy will host Notre Dame.
(Contact James Beach at 1134james@gmail.com)