Broome overpowers Blue Ridge, 41-21
Blue Ridge kept it relatively close against a talented Broome squad, but the Centurions’ offensive firepower proved too explosive for the Tigers to keep up with in the loss.
Eighth-ranked Broome (6-1, 2-0 region) traveled to Jim Howard Stadium and swept Blue Ridge away Friday night, putting together a 41-21 win over the Tigers.
The loss kept Blue Ridge winless at 0-7 and dropped the Tigers’ region record to 0-1.
“I thought we competed extremely hard. I thought the kids gave everything they had,” said Blue Ridge head coach John Boggs. “But we’ve got to learn how to get off the field on third down and fourth down and stop drives.”
KB Henderson paced the Tigers on the ground with 24 carries for 110 yards. Asheton Stokes led the way receiving with two receptions for 27 yards and a touchdown. Stokes’ 23-yard touchdown reception from running back Bryson Wyatt on a trick play brought the score to 13-7 at the end of the first quarter, following two quick strikes from Broome.
The floodgates opened before halftime, however.
Broome scored on three straight possessions in the second quarter, all three coming from quarterback Kamajay Brackett-Brannon. The Centurions’ senior signal-caller ran in from 24 and 33 yards out before finding wide receiver Gray Bradley for a 32-yard touchdown pass. His heroics shot Broome to a 34-7 lead at the break.
In the third quarter, Broome’s highly-touted sophomore running back Jaylen McGill found the end zone for a second time on the evening, scampering in from 16 yards out.
Blue Ridge hung in during the fourth, largely thanks to its defense. The Tigers got two fumble return touchdowns from Cole Hastings and Tyson Hicks to close the gap to 20, but it was too little, too late.
“Broome is a great team,” said Boggs. “They’ve got some really physical defensive linemen, and they run really well on both sides of the ball. They’re tough.”
The Tigers will have to recover from the loss quickly, as they face a short week. Blue Ridge will clash with Carolina (2-6, 0-2 region) on Thursday night instead of Friday.
Both programs agreed to move the game up to Thursday to accommodate for fall break among Greenville County Schools.
The matchup should have large implications on which team clinches a playoff berth. The winner gets the inside lane.
“Every region game counts. We’re expecting a tough game, especially on a short week. Getting that first region win is important in trying to get into the postseason, because you really don’t know what will happen with other teams down the line.
“We’re going to do whatever we need to find a way to win.”