Friday, Oct. 23, 2009

Bruins 'beat down' Tigers

South Florence scores first 57 in rout

CONWAY -- A downpour before the start of the game dampened Conway's homecoming contest Friday night at E. Craig Wall Jr. Memorial Stadium.

That was nothing compared to the deluge that awaited the Tigers after kickoff.

South Florence rained 71 points on the Tigers, including the game's first 57, to make up for years of frustration against Conway with a 71-21 win in a contest vital to both teams' playoff hopes.

"It's one thing to get beat, it's another thing just to get beat down," Conway coach Chuck Jordan said, "And we got beat down."

Just four days after losing by a point to Carolina Forest, Bruins quarterback Kaleb Griffin executed a nearly flawless spread offense, completing 14 of 17 passes for 371 yards and five touchdowns without an interception. The Bruins also got 191 yards and four touchdowns combined from running backs Terrion Brown and Derrick Rodgers.

"You can't ask for much better," Knights second-year coach Lynn Fleming said. "This is how we feel we can play every night. It was good to do this. We've been sputtering a little bit for the last few weeks and we're kind of excited about getting some points on the board."

South Florence has beaten Conway just a few times despite playing annually since its inception in the mid-70s, and has suffered countless lopsided losses against the Tigers, including several in recent years. South Florence last beat Conway in 2002.

"They were focused and they knew what they had to do, and they knew what was riding on the game, and they came out and executed and stepped up tonight," Fleming said.

The Bruins (5-4) improved to 1-2 in Region VI-AAAA while the Tigers (4-5) fell to 1-2 with games remaining against Sumter and Carolina Forest. Conway is in serious danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 1998.

"I told our kids this is the most important game we've had all year long," Jordan said. "... We're in a situation now where we've got to win the next two probably to get in. We may get in at-large, but to be honest with you, I'm not one of those that likes to get into the playoffs when you don't have a very good football team."

The Bruins hit the Tigers with big plays all night, beginning with a safety on the fourth play of the game when a snap sailed over Conway punter Corbin Jenkins' head into the end zone. Four of Griffin's touchdown passes were more than 40 yards, including a 96-yarder to Charles Nettles.

"We just see what they do on defense and try to attack where they're not and it worked tonight," Griffin said. "The offensive line kept them off and the receivers did a great job. It feels great. We played really good tonight."

Conway's three scores came in succession within a six-minute span late in the third quarter when it was already trailing 57-0. Adrian Lane returned a fumble 5 yards for a score, and the final two scores came after Conway gained possession deep in Bruins territory following a snap over the punter's head and blocked punt.

But Griffin re-entered the game after taking three offensive series off, and completed four consecutive passes, including a 55-yard touchdown strike to Blake Vinson, who had five receptions for 144 yards and three TDs.

"They were just all over us tonight," Jordan said. "We couldn't do anything right and they couldn't do anything wrong. They looked like the Dallas Cowboys and we looked like the Bad News Bears."