BROOKLET — Southeast Bulloch came in to Friday’s game hoping to spring an upset on Benedictine, one of the top teams in Region 3-AAA and a perennial state power.
Instead, the Cadets showed why they are one of the favorites to win the region as they jumped all over Southeast Bulloch, leading 28-0 at halftime en route to an 51-7 win over the Yellow Jackets.
“They’re a good team,” said SEB head coach Barret Davis. “Give our kids credit. I thought they played hard and never quit, but that’s a good team over there.”
Trailing 6-0 midway through the first quarter, the Yellow Jackets (3-4, 2-3) marched 70 yards, from their own 25 to the Benedictine 6-yard line, but the drive stalled as SEB settled for a field goal attempt.
However, the snap was bobbled and the kick never got above the lineman as it was blocked.
The Cadets then raced down the field, ending the quarter with the first of two James Epps’ touchdowns to put Benedictine (6-2, 6-0) up 12-0.
Two more touchdowns in the second quarter effectively ended any hope of an upset.
While the Yellow Jackets stuck with their methodical running game that they’ve been known for, the Cadets played at a breakneck pace, often snapping the ball less than eight seconds after the previous play ended.
That pace resulted in the Cadets piling up 472 yards of total offense, well above their average of 318 on the season.
Despite the offensive performance by Benedictine, Davis said he saw some things to be pleased with from his defense.
“I thought we did a good job stopping them up the middle,” he said. “Their big plays came from when they were able to get to the edge and our secondary and linebackers were able fill the space.”
Safety Darius Lovett had a night to remember, picking off three passes on the night, two of them deep in SEB territory to stop potential scoring drives.
Offensively, the Yellow Jackets again struggled with consistency as they were unable to sustain many drives outside of the one in the first quarter and then late in the game.
Senior Ethan Shannon scored the lone touchdown for the Yellow Jackets late in the fourth to avoid the shut out.
Shannon ended the night with 42 yards on 15 carries.
Adrian Taylor led SEB with 90 yards on 10 carries as SEB totaled 181 yards on the ground.
Down four touchdowns at halftime, Davis said the team’s energy was good and they stayed motivated despite the score.
“We try to teach these young men that life is going to be tough and there’s going to be adversity,” he said. “When that happens, you have two choices. You can either man up or you can quit. I don’t think our guys quit tonight. They kept playing hard.”
Looking ahead, the Yellow Jackets now face a daunting task of likely needing to win their next three games to make the state playoffs. Making matters even more difficult is that due to a rescheduling of a game from earlier in the season, SEB will have three games in nine days starting on Thursday.
On Halloween, SEB will travel to Groves. That following Tuesday, the Yellow Jackets will host Beach in a pivotal region game that will also see Beach with a short turnaround. Then to cap off the stretch, SEB will host Johnson just three days later.
For Benedictine, Epps finished with 168 on 10 carries to lead the way for the Cadets offensively.
