Bearcats defeat Harris County 21-13
Published 10:27 pm Friday, September 18, 2009
Rohan Gaines ran 102 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 123 yards, leading the Bainbridge High School Bearcats to a 21-13 Region 1-AAAA victory over the Harris County High School Tigers Friday night at Centennial Field.
The Bearcats struck first when quarterback Rohan Gaines ran four yards for a touchdown with 9:24 left in the first quarter to culminate a five-play, 69-yard drive. Keenan Adams kicked the extra point to make it 7-0. The drive started from the Harris County 31-yard-line after the Bearcats’ Jeremy Harper returned the opening kickoff 52 yards from the Bearcats’ 17. The key play of the drive was a 23-yard pass from Gaines to wide receiver James Hudson from the 30 to the 7. Harper ran to the 4, setting up Gaines’ touchdown run.
Harris County quarterback Detavis Buggs ran two yards for a touchdown with 9:47 left in the second quarter to cap a six-play, 73-yard drive. Julian Acevedo kicked the extra point to tie the game 7-7. The key play in the drive was a 52-yard run by the Tigers’ Sean Jeppesen from his own 46 to the Bearcats’ 2, where he was tackled by BHS cornerback Shawn Samuels.
Gaines ran two yards for a touchdown with 6:47 left in the second quarter to culiminate an eight-play, 58-yard drive. Adams’ extra point to put BHS up 14-7. The key play in the drive included a 16-yard Thomas Smiley run from the Tigers’ 37 to the 21 and a 13-yard Harper run from the 17 to the 4.
Buggs ran a yard for a touchdown with 1:26 left in the second quarter to culminate a nine-play, 61-yard drive by Harris County. Acevedo’s extra point attempt try was wide to the right, leaving the Bearcats up 14-13. The key play in the drive was a 12-yard pass from Buggs to tight end James Price on fourth down to take the Tigers from the Bearcats’ 22 to the 10.
The first half ended with Bainbridge still leading Harris County 14-13.
The Bearcats had a good opportunity to score early in the fourth quarter but could not capitalize. Adams kicked a 50-yard punt to give Harris County the ball at their own 2. The Tigers could not advance and were forced to punt on fourth down, with the Bearcats getting the ball around Harris County’s 38-yard line.
The Bearcats’ running effort was largely stifled and Adams’ 28-yard field goal attempt with 8:18 left in the fourth quarter missed wide to the left.
After the Bearcats got the ball back with a little more than four minutes remaining, wide receiver Jeremy Harper caught a pass from the Bearcats’ 15 to the Tigers’ 45. During the same drive, a personal foul on Harris County advanced the Bearcats to the Tigers’ 24-yard-line. On the next play, Harris County was called for pulling on Smiley’s facemask, taking the ball to the 22.
Harper ran 19 yards for a touchdown with 2:48 left in the game to cap a six-play, 85-yard drive. Adams’ extra point gave the Bearcats a 21-13 lead.
Defensive back Justin Harris broke up a long pass attempt to help the Bearcats’ defense keep Harris County from making any big plays. Daniel Bivins and Jonathan Warren also contributed on defense. Samuels intercepted a Tigers pass around the Bearcats’ 40-yard line and returned it to the Tigers’ 33 to seal the Bainbridge victory.
With the win, Bainbridge improves to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in Region 1-AAAA. They will face Southwest Macon in Macon next Friday night.
Other scores:
Westside-Macon 27-7 over Jones County
Hardaway 52-31 over Lee County
Thomas County Central 40-7 over Upson-Lee
Seminole County 55-0 over Atkinson County
Miller County 41-0 over Lanier County
Cairo, Early County, Mitchell County and Thomasville all had open dates.