Junior E.J. Matthews rushed for 161 and one touchdown and Jeremy Borders scored on a punt return as visiting Boyd Buchanan defeated Silverdale, 46-0, to claim the District 5-A football championship Friday night.
Senior Austin Jackson also scored three rushing touchdowns as the Bucs gained 328 yards on the ground (8.4 avg per carry). The Blue and Gold defense held the Seahawks to 18 yards on 19 carries and had one interception.
Records: The Bucs have won five straight for a 5-5 overall record (3-0 in the district), while Silverdale finishes at 4-6 (1-2 in district play).
Playoffs: Brackets will be released by TSSAA prior to noon Saturday.
The Bucs' Jackson capped their first possession with a 4-run to pay dirt and a 7-0 lead on Will Greer's first of three made extra points.
The victors then scored three times in the second period for a 25-0 halftime lead as Jackson scored on short runs of three and five yards.
The second half consisted of big plays as Matthews scored on a 40 yard run and a Borders punt return of 42 yards and a score. Freshman Michael Mincey closed the scoring with a 19 yard run in the final minute.
Significant Win ... The victory gives Boyd Buchanan its sixth straight district title and 18th straight district win ... BBS moves to AA with Silverdale, Brainerd, Tyner, Polk County, Meigs County, Marion County ... current district foes Copper Basin and Grace stay in class A.
Six Years Ago to the Day - Last District Loss: The last time the Bucs lost a district game was Oct. 31, 2008 and a 20-18 home loss to the Tyner Rams ... they close out this district with 18 straight wins.
“It’s great to close the regular season by clinching this district title as we will be in a AA district next season, but right now we are focused on the first round of the playoffs next Friday,” said Bucs coach Grant Reynolds.
“I like the way we ran between the tackles tonight as Silverdale was defending the outside,” Reynolds stated. "Our kids have been playing with a great deal of determination."
Silverdale coach Al Rogers said, "Some folks said we would not win a game since we lost so many seniors from last season, but to go 4-6 is testament to our hard work. We played some freshmen and they made freshman mistakes, but we can correct those things."
Kudos: Silverdale committed no penalties and had only one turnover (an interception).
Individual Stats: BBS - E.J. Matthews 161 yards rushing ( 12.4), 1 TD; Austin Jackson 170 rushing yards (4.7), 3 TDs ... SBA - Hunter Arnold 13 yards, 7 carries)
Return Yardage BBS, Jeremy Borders, 3 for 43 yards (14.3 per)
Kickoff Return Yards: SBA - Michael Weiss, 2 for 32 (16.0 avg)
tackles: BBS - Jake Harden (7.5, 6 solo)
Interception: BBS - Kohl Henke (1)
Boyd Buchanan 46, Silverdale 0
BBS – 7 – 18 – 14 – 7 – 46
SBA – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 -- 0
Game Scoring
1st Q
BBS - Austin Jackson 4 run (Will Greer kick), 7-0, 7 plays-46 yards
2nd Q
BBS - A Jackson 3 run (pass failed), 13-0, 13-81
BBS - Jeremy Borders 8 run (pass failed), 19-0, 8-64
BBS - A Jackson 5 run (run failed), 25-0, 3-22
3rd Q
BBS - Borders 42 punt return (Greeg kick), 32-0, 1-45
BBS - E.J. Matthews 40 run (Greer kick), 39-0, 1-40
4th Q
BBS - Michael Mincey 19 run (Greer kick), 46-0,
Game Stats
First Downs: BBS, 18-7
Rushing: BBS, 328-18
Passing: BBS, 32-25
Third Down Conversions: BBS (3/5), SBA (2/9)
Turnovers: Silverdale 1, BBS 0 ... Kohl Henke had an interception
Penalties: BBS, 8-75 ... SBA, 0-0
Contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net