Sharpening Their Claws
Bears maul Bulldogs in Parker's first win as BCHS head coach
By Anne Marie Kyzer Staff Writer

Quentin Holmes dives across the goal line for the Bears' first touchdown of the night. Holmes ran in two touchdowns for the Bears in their 36-0 victory.

That was some cold water, but Coach Eric Parker didn't seem to mind the surprise shower in the least.

Burke County High School's football team (1-2) jumped at the chance to douse their new head coach with a cooler full of ice after the Bears' 36-0 romp over Butler High School Friday night.

The Bears ran five touchdowns and scored on a safety while holding the Bulldogs scoreless through an evening of rain and sporadic lightning that delayed the game twice.

Senior Tyler Hammett spent most of the night as quarterback handing the ball off to junior Rodney Moye and senior Quentin Holmes for a productive running game.

Coach Parker said he was pleased with his team's performance. The Burke County defense dominated the game, while the Bears' offense relied on their quick feet.

"We were able to run the ball and that makes a difference," Coach Parker said. "We could run and wear them down."

Post-game Parker

Coach Parker said he thinks the big win will instill some muchneeded confidence in his Bears.

"Hopefully, we can take this and go on to beat some good football teams," he said.

The Bears put their first six on the board on their third possession of the game after taking advantage of a Bulldog fumble with less than two minutes left in the first quarter.

On Burke County's second play of the drive, Holmes dove across the goal line. Sophomore Nathan Chance kicked the ball through the goal posts for the extra point to put the Bears up 7-0.

The Bears were on a roll.

On Butler's next drive, the Burke County defense drove the Bulldogs further backwards than they managed to move forwards. Five plays into the drive, Burke County forced the Bulldogs back into their own end zone to add another 2 points on a safety.

They weren't finished yet. With the Bears back in possession of the football, they ran the ball three times until they reached the 12- yard line. Moye then carried it into the end zone for Burke County's second touchdown of the night.

Chance's kick was good to put the Bears up 16-0.

Just into the second half, Butler fumbled the slick ball again, and Bobby Burum claimed the ball for the Bears.

For the second time in the game, Burke County turned a Bulldog slipup into 6 points for the Bears. A steady running drive that weathered a 10-yard penalty took the Bears to the Bulldogs' 7-yard line. Moye took his second trip into the end zone early in the third quarter to make the score 22-0. Chance tacked on the extra point for a 23- 0 lead.

On their next possession, the Bears kept their momentum. Hammett, Moye and Holmes took turns running the ball taking Burke County to the 1-yard line. Holmes carried the ball over the goal line for his second touchdown of the night and put the Bears up 29-0.

Late in the third, Burum stepped in as quarterback, but the remainder of the quarter was plagued by fumbles by both teams.

Burum found a footpath early in the fourth though. He kept the ball on the Bears second play of the drive and ran it in the end zone less than a minute into the fourth quarter for the Bears' fifth touchdown of the night.

Chance added the extra point with his good kick and the Bears were up 36-0, where they would stay until the end of the game.

Sophomore Terrell Brigham cut Butler's next drive short with an interception, but the Bears weren't able to move the ball for a first down. Just as the clock was ticking off the last seconds of the game, Burke County sophomore Keon Lewis would pluck another Butler pass out of the air for an interception.

The buzzer sounded and the Bears claimed their first victory of the season, 36-0. Their cheers could still be heard as they gathered at the field house after the game.

The Bears will have the night off Friday for their only open week of the season. They will pick back up Sept. 28 against Glenn Hills High School in the Bear Den.

IN A RUSH

Burke County reversed their offensive strategy from their game against the Screven County Gamecocks, focusing on running instead of passing.

Junior Rodney Moye led the Bears in rushing with his quick feet, chalking up 109 yards on 10 attempts. Senior Quentin Holmes carried the ball 15 times to gain 71 yards.

Tyler Hammett only threw the ball 8 times, 4 of those complete, for 39 yards. One of those was a 20-yard pass caught by senior Brandon Brown.

SACK ATTACK

The Bears tallied 5 sacks for the ball game. Senior Cornelius Washington recorded two, while senior Tim Prophet, junior Bobby Burum and junior Rodney Moye each took the quarterback down once.