BAINBRIDGE – Bainbridge-Guilford’s resolve and collective single-mindedness was put to the test Friday night when mistakes and bad breaks put it in one-touchdown hole against Oxford in a key Class D division battle Friday night.
As it has all season, the Bobcats were clearly the better team in the second half.
B-G held the Blackhawks to 42 yards – and zero points – over the final two quarters to capture a 30-21 victory.
The win was the sixth straight for B-G, who clinched a Section IV playoff berth for a second straight season. This weekend, Delhi entertains the Bobcats for the outright Division VII title.
“Our number one goal at the beginning of the season was not the division title, but to get into a second season,” said B-G coach Tim Mattingly “We know anything can happen there. We’re there (in the playoffs), now can go to Delhi, and we can play for our first Class D division title.”
Oxford used the big play to grab a 21-14 lead, and was poised to take a two-score lead into halftime when Alex Marin forced a fumble on a B-G bootleg, and Booker Davis recovered with 1:55 left in the half.
Oxford marched inside the 10, but missed on a fourth-and-goal pass from the five with under 15 seconds left in the half. “We made some mistakes in the first half, but the defense stepped up and we dodged a huge bullet at the end of the half,” Mattingly said. “We challenged the kids at halftime. We wanted them to take it personally, and to beat the guy across from them. We had them scouted well, and we weren’t going to change anything. We stayed with what we do best, and we needed to do that. If we got beat doing our best, then we were beaten by the better team.”
On the first play of the fourth quarter, B-G’s offense began to click. Daren Terpstra ran for a 16-yard first down to the Oxford 43, and Terpstra converted a fourth-and-one to extend the drive. Dakota Vandermark finished the drive on a 32-yard counter play off the right side to make it 21-20. Vandermark tacked on the two-point conversion to give B-G the lead for keeps.
Oxford went almost exclusively to the passing game in the fourth quarter throwing it 10 times and running it just three times. The Blackhawks completed just one pass, for 0 yards, and had minus-two yards for the quarter.
Meanwhile, B-G’s rushing offense picked up steam after another stop. Following a 12-yard Blackhawks punt, the Bobcats went 37 yards in eight plays for the final score. Terpstra and Vandermark rushed for two first downs along the way, and quarterback Justin Pepper hit paydirt on a one-yard sneak.
Vandermark finished with 144 yards in the game, and Terpstra added 103.
“A big key was our defense shutting them out in the second half,” Mattingly said. “We knew it would be a physical game. We just needed to make some plays on offense in the second half.”
Lightning struck early for Oxford in the first quarter. Quarterback John Wonka found Jeremy Nelson on a short pass over the middle, and Nelson outraced the B-G defense for a 79-yard TD on the Blackhawks’ third offensive play.
Not deterred, Vandermark popped a 61-yard run that led to a three-yard TD run by Terpstra. Pepper’s conversion run put the hosts in front, 8-7.
Oxford regained the lead on the second play of the second quarter. On fourth down, Davis hauled in a 22-yard scoring toss from Wonka.
Again, B-G would answer as Terpstra scooted 13 yards for six points.
With the game tied, Oxford went 55 yards on 10 plays for the go-ahead score. A pass interference penalty extended the possession, and John Wonka’s two-yard sneak and Andrew Golden’s third successful point-after left it at 21-14.
“My kids just didn’t quit, and they play the game the way it’s supposed to be played,” Mattingly said. “I’ve had groups in the past that were 5-1 and were already talking about going to the Dome (Carrier). These kids don’t think that way. They come to practice, work hard, listen to what we tell them to do, and focus on the next game. These kids have not looked ahead one time this season.”
The Blackhawks’ Wonka finished with 128 yards passing, and Davis had a team-high 47 yards rushing before leaving the game in the third quarter with an injury.
Score by quarters
Oxf. 7 14 0 0—21
