Bulloch Academy’s undefeated dream season continued as the Gators advanced to the GIAA Final Four with a 37-0 win over the St. Anne-Pacelli Vikings Friday night at Gator Alley.
The second-seeded Gators (10-0) dominated from the opening kickoff. Bulloch Academy won the coin toss and elected to receive. Taking over on their own 21, Bulloch Academy embarked on a 79-yard drive that took 21 plays and nearly 11 minutes off the clock.
The Gators eventually made it to the Vikings (5-6) 4-yard line, but back-to-back personal fouls by the Gators found them at the 38. On third down, Danye Garvin found a seam up the middle and raced to the St. Anne-Pacelli 10 yard line. On fourth down, BA quarterback Sam Hubbard found Shamar Jenkins on the right side wide open to put Bulloch Academy ahead 7-0.
“We want to come out and break their will. That’s what we want to do,” BA Head Coach Aaron Phillips said following the victory. “We want to go out and establish the run early and let them know that you’re going to have to look forward to this all night long.”
Following a stop on the Vikings' first drive, the Gators regained possession at their own 40. Bulloch showed off its quick-strike abilities as Hubbard and Jenkins hooked up for a 44-yard score on the third play of the drive when Jenkins slipped out of the backfield on the left and Hubbard hit him in stride. Jenkins outran the Vikings’ defense for his second score of the night. Case Woodrum’s second PAT of the night extended the lead to 14-0.
The Vikings picked up a couple of first downs on their second possession of the first half, but the Gators’ defense forced a punt, giving the ball back to the Gators at their own 20 with just 1:53 remaining in the half.
Bulloch Academy again wasted little time marching down the field, keyed by two runs for 57 yards by Hubbard. Jenkins scored his third touchdown of the first half on a 13-yard run through a hole created by the Gators’ offensive line on the right side. Woodrum’s PAT put the Gators ahead 21-0 going into halftime.
The Gator defense held the Vikings to just three first downs and 28 total yards of offense in the first half.
Bulloch Academy continued their dominance in the second half, holding the Vikings to three first downs that came late in the 4th quarter when the game was already out of reach and recording a safety late in the third quarter the when St. Anne-Pacelli snap went over the quarterback’s head and out of the endzone for a safety.
Running Back BJ Smart scored on a seven-yard run as time expired in the third quarter. Woodrum’s PAT made it 30-0, resulting in a running clock for the fourth quarter.
JB Roach’s 45 yard interception return in the 4th quarter capped off the scoring as the BA defense held the Vikings to 103 total yards on the night.
“To have us come out and pitch a shutout against this group is huge,” Phillips said. “Coach (Robbie) Holder’s done a great job. We live and die with our front seven and that group is pretty stout,” he said. “We made them throw the football a little bit and that’s not what they want to do. Anytime you can make a team do something they don’t want to do, you’ve had a pretty good night.
“Those guys don’t get talked about as much as our offense because they don’t put up big, flashy numbers,” Phillips said. “But we’re giving up about six points per game and we’ve had (four) shutouts. This is the second year in a row we’ve shut a team out in the quarterfinals of the state playoffs. I’m proud of those guys.”
Offensively, the Gators were led by Jenkins’ three scores. He ended the night with 94 yards on eight carries and another 54 yards on two receptions. Garvin had 101 yards on 15 carries while Ike Hubbard contributed 34 yards on seven attempts.
The Gators finished with 366 total yards of offense on the night.
The win sets up a rematch of last year’s semifinal with Brookstone, who advanced with a 33-28 win over Stratford Academy. Last year saw the Cougars end the Gators’ undefeated season with a 24-22 win over BA in the semifinals in a game BA led by 14 at one point.
Even before he knew their opponent, Phillips was hoping for a rematch.
“We want them here. We want them here,” he said after the game when he knew Brookstone was leading their game. “They’re a great team. It’s going to be a war. Coach (Rance) Gillespie, the former Georgia Southern coordinator, he does a heck of a job and they’re going to come over here from Columbus fired up.”
Phillips said his team has waited all year for a chance to play Brookstone again.
“We have a bad taste in our mouth,” he said. “We thought we were the better team last year and we’ve got something to prove. We’re ready to go.”
