Sweet 16 Next for Cadets
Dennis Knight, Savannah Morning News: interview
"I actually started talking about 'Friday Night Lights' when I had the seniors to our house for dinner recently, and I thought it was the perfect time to bring it up again because we were sleepwalking through the first half," said Britt, in his 15th season leading the Cadet program. "And it seemed to work because they came out in the second half and really took it to 'em."
BC forced a 3-and-out on the Broncos' first possession of the second half on a series highlighted by a huge hit from linebacker Jayden Houston on East Forsyth quarterback Chase Rhoads that pumped the Cadet sideline up to another level.
The Cadets responded with a 67-yard, seven-play drive where senior Josh Washington played a big role. He caught an eight-yard pass from Stephen Cannon for a first-down and then made another grab on the next play where he looked to be stopped for about a gain of 12 yards, but kept his legs pumping as he carried a scrum of would be tacklers about 15 more yards for a gain of 29, as his teammates erupted on the sideline. Three plays later, he scored on a 5-yard run as BC went up 14-7 with seven minutes left in the third quarter.
On the ensuing Bronco drive, Cadet defensive back Micah Williams, the senior committed to App State, picked off Rhoads, setting up the BC offense at the Broncos' 39. On the next play, Cannon, who is headed to Texas Tech in the fall, connected with Eron Mallard on a crossing pattern. An elite sprinter, Mallard cut back against the grain to the left sideline and left his pursuers in his wake as he turned on the jets for a 39-yard touchdown as BC went up 21-7 with 5:40 left in the third.
The Cadets responded with a 67-yard, seven-play drive where senior Josh Washington played a big role. He caught an eight-yard pass from Stephen Cannon for a first-down and then made another grab on the next play where he looked to be stopped for about a gain of 12 yards, but kept his legs pumping as he carried a scrum of would be tacklers about 15 more yards for a gain of 29, as his teammates erupted on the sideline. Three plays later, he scored on a 5-yard run as BC went up 14-7 with seven minutes left in the third quarter.
On the ensuing Bronco drive, Cadet defensive back Micah Williams, the senior committed to App State, picked off Rhoads, setting up the BC offense at the Broncos' 39. On the next play, Cannon, who is headed to Texas Tech in the fall, connected with Eron Mallard on a crossing pattern. An elite sprinter, Mallard cut back against the grain to the left sideline and left his pursuers in his wake as he turned on the jets for a 39-yard touchdown as BC went up 21-7 with 5:40 left in the third.
The onslaught continued on the Broncos' next possession when senior linebacker Larson Little picked Rhoads off and followed a line of blockers into the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown, the first of his high school career, as BC took a 28-7 lead with 4:32 left in the third quarter.
"That was my first touchdown at Benedictine, and I was exhausted after scoring," Little said with a laugh. "In middle school (at Richmond Hill Middle School), I was a pretty good running back and scored a lot of touchdowns — so I was trying to relive those glory days. We made some adjustments at the half, moving a couple guys around and changing some fronts, and then started playing well."
In the fourth quarter, Benedictine poured it on as running back Stanley Smart Jr. busted one right up the gut of the defense for a 41-yard touchdown with 7:50 left. Smart ran for 84 yards and the score on seven carries.
Then Cannon found Mallard again and the junior spun out of a tackle at the 5-yard line and got his arm down to keep himself up as he dove across the goal line for an impressive 14-yard touchdown to end the scoring with 4:29 left.
The Cadet offense was clicking with contributions from all its starters. Notre Dame-bound 4-star receiver Bubba Frazier had a 22-yard touchdown in the first quarter, and Washington had seven catches for 82 yards, while rushing for 34 yards and a score on three carries. Mallard continued his recent run of excellent play with six receptions for 102 yards and two touchdowns.
The Cadet offense was clicking with contributions from all its starters. Notre Dame-bound 4-star receiver Bubba Frazier had a 22-yard touchdown in the first quarter, and Washington had seven catches for 82 yards, while rushing for 34 yards and a score on three carries. Mallard continued his recent run of excellent play with six receptions for 102 yards and two touchdowns.
"I could tell coach Britt was upset with us coming into the locker room at the half, but he stayed composed and gave us that great speech," said Cannon, who was 20 of 24 passing for 220 yards and the two touchdowns, while completing all 10 of his second-half throws. "It was really motivational, and it got us going as you could see with how we played in the second half.
"We just simplified it down and started running the plays we've been working on in practices since we were freshmen, and everything started working. And I've got to say, that someone needs to give Eron Mallard a scholarship offer soon — he's a special player."
The Cadet defense held East Forsyth to 203 yards of total offense. Senior Jackson Norman showed his toughness in his final high school game by rushing for 110 hard-earned yards on 25 carries.
Benedictine's senior defensive tackle Kam Cody, who was recently named the Region 1-4A Defensive Player of the Year, was all over the field and had a huge game, while serving as the unit's emotional leader.
"We're in the playoffs now, and we know we need to win five games to reach our goal," said Cody, who has committed to Clemson. "I had my whole family in the stands, so I wanted to show out. I'm just grateful to be part of this team, and I want to close it out with my brothers winning a state championship."
