(Story has been updated with remarks from Boyd-Buchanan coach Grant Reynolds)
Boyd-Buchanan’s Cooper Hodge ran for two touchdowns and threw for a third on Friday, leading the top-ranked and undefeated Boyd-Buchanan Buccaneers to a 28-7 Region 3-2A football victory over visiting Meigs County on Friday at a rain-soaked – in some spots flooded – David L. Boyd Field.
The game was delayed in the second quarter by lightning and heavy rain at 8:18 p.m.
and resumed more than an hour later. The teams were given eight minutes to warm up and Meigs County picked up with a possession at its own 48.
During the long delay, there was no fiery speeches, no calls more inspired play, no chants of "Win one for the "Gipper," Bucs coach Grant Reynolds said.
“Our kids took their pads off, turned the lights down, turned the air up and relaxed,” he said.
Hodge, the Bucs’ senior quarterback, led Boyd-Buchanan (7-0, 5-0) in rushing with 71 yards on 16 carries and completed 13-of-21 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown.
“Cooper has been solid all season,” Reynolds said. “He’s really been running with consistently and in the last two games thrown the ball well and that gives us more balance.”
Meigs County (3-4, 1-3) grabbed a 7-0 when Tyler Lawson scored from 1-yard out. That 45-yard, eight-play drive was set up by when Casey Tate recovered a muffed punt at the Bucs’ 45.
That was, however, the last time the Tigers got to the end zone.
“Our defense made some adjustments after drive and the group responded by filling gaps and made tackles on the back side,” Reynolds said.
Boyd-Buchanan took over at its own 17 after the kickoffs and started the 14-play scoring drive with a Hodge-to-Kade Owens 6-yard pass play. Later on second-and-6 from the Tigers’ 47, Hodge connected with Kohl Henke for a 15-yard gainer. On second-and-goal from the Tigers’ 6, Hodge darted into the end zone to tie the game at 7-7.
On Meigs’ ensuing drive, the Tigers faced a fourth-and-15 from its 38, but coach Jason Fitzgerald called for a fake punt and the play gained 20 yards. Two plays later from the Bucs’ 34, running back Zy Moore fumbled and Boyd-Buchanan’s E.J. Matthews recovered.
The Bucs failed to do anything with the turnover and punted. On Meigs’ third play, the Bucs’ Eli Legg forced a second Moore fumbled and Jake Harden came up with the recovery at the Tigers’ 21.
On the first play, Hodge scooted 21 yards for a go-ahead touchdown with 6:57 remaining in the first half, just a few minutes before the lightning and heavy rain struck.
Hodge capped the Bucs’ scoring with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Kohl Henke at the 3:32 mark of the third quarter. Henke led all receivers with 123 yards on seven receptions, almost doubling his season total to 256 yards.
“Cooper and Kohl worked hard in summer practices and in 7-on-7s,” Reynolds said. Kohl is just a sophomore and didn’t play any wide receiver last year. Those two guys are really coming together.”
Boyd-Buchanan dominated the game by amassing 371 total yards of offense while holding the Tigers to 145, including a meager 19 through the air.
After seven games, the Bucs’ offense is putting up 35.6 points per game and allowing just 10.4. The Bucs have held four opponents to seven or fewer points.
The Tigers are now being outscored, 19.6 to 18.4.
Boyd-Buchanan zoomed over the 2,000-yard total offense mark with 371 against the Tigers and has 2,285 total yards on the season. Of that total, 1,710 has come on the ground. Matthews is the Bucs’ leading rusher with 670 yards in 2015.
SCORING
Meigs County 7 0 0 0 – 7
Boyd-Buchanan 7 14 7 0 – 28
First Quarter
MC – Tyler Lawson 1 run (Cameron Harris kick), 6:42
BB – Cooper Hodge 6 run (Will Greer kick), 09.6
Second Quarter
BB – E.J. Matthews 21 run (Greer kick), 6:57
Kohl Henke 45 pass from Hodge (Greer kick), 1:17
Third Quarter
BB – Hodge 1 run (Greer kick), 3:32
YARDSTICK
MC BB
First Downs 6 18
Rushes-Yards 29-126 40-187
Passing Yards 19 184
Comp-Att-Int 3-11-0 13-17-0
Plays-Total Yds 32-145 53-371
Fumbles-Lost 3-2 2-1
Punts-Avg 6-38.7 2-32.0
Penalties-Yds 3-15 5-31
INDIVIDUAL
RUSHING – Meigs County: Logan Fowler 13-52, Zy Moore 7-36, Bryson Smith 1-21, Austin Judd 4-8, Clint Oliver 3-6, Jesse Rayl 1-3; Boyd-Buchanan: Cooper Hodge 16-71, E.J. Matthews 12-69, Jeremy Borders 6-34, Michael Mincy 2-16, Isaiah Dillard 4-minus 3.
PASSING – Meigs County: Oliver 3-11-0 19 Boyd-Buchanan: Hodge 13-21-0 184.
RECEIVING – Meigs County: Fowler 1-9, Judd 1-6, Moore 1-4; Boyd-Buchanan: Kohl Henke 7-123, Borders 1-27, Kade Owens 2-17, Carter Broome 2-13, Dillard 1-4.
(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)