2020 Week 4 Bear Tracks

We finally made it to Game 2, even though it is Week 4. We knew this season was going to be weird and there was a chance that games could be postponed or canceled. Unfortunately, both have come true. Now we are glad to finally see the Bears back on the field this Friday night.

With that, let’s turn and look at the big region match-up with the reigning state champion the Wren Hurricanes (but hopefully the Bears have been mentally preparing for them for two weeks now).

Week 4 Preview

With the Bears not facing opponents for the last 2 weeks, BHP will have to shake off the proverbial rust against one of the top teams in the state. In any season of late, this matchup would be one of the toughest that BHP would face and this season it’ll be even harder with the extended layoff.

BHP’s last, and only, game was against Pendleton where the Bears won 29-7. Wren opened the season with a win over 5A Clover 23-21. They followed that up with a win over Seneca, 63-26. Last week Wren matched up with Daniel, a game which some believed would decide the region title, and came up short with Daniel getting the 30-10 win. Even with the loss against Daniel, Wren still has a route to a region title, but a loss to BHP would nearly guarantee a third place finish for the Hurricanes.

Last season's matchup is nearly parallel to this season's region matchup. Wren came off a loss against Daniel and BHP faced Wren and Daniel to complete region play. However, Wren’s offense flashed more explosion last season than it has this year. This was shown in the matchup with BHP. Wren scored 55 points against BHP last year, making that only the 6th time BHP has ever given up 50 or more points. Even though BHP was able to move the ball in the air, they were not able to match the firepower on the other sideline.

I would not expect the full on shoot out in this season’s matchup, however, both teams will look to lean on their strengths and both teams are very familiar with each other’s strengths as well.

2019 Game Stats

Score: BHP 28 -- Wren 55

BHP Yardage:

Team Rushing: 41 rushes for 139 yards and 1 TD
Team Passing: 15/36/3 for 293 yards and 3 TDs
Team Total: 77 plays for 432 yards and 4 TDs

Rushing Leader: RJ Ellis - 15 rushes for 66 yards
Passing Leader: Logan Milford - 15/36/3 for 293 yards and 3 TDs
Receiving Leaders: Bralyn Oliver - 5 receptions for 80 yards
Defensive Points : Carletho Burgos - 5 first hits, 1 INT, 3 pass break-ups, and 36 defensive points

Wren Team Yardage:

Team Rushing: 30 rushes for 173 yards and 3 TD
Team Passing: 22/35/1 for 304 yards and 5 TDs
Team Total: 65 plays for 477 yards and 8 TDs

Rushing Leader: Jogan Simmons - 21 rushes for 111 yards and 1 TD
Passing Leader: Jamal Blakley - 19/31/1 for 295 yards and 5 TDs
Receiving Leader: Tyler Cherry - 6 receptions for 140 yards and 3 TDs

Quick Stats

Week 1 vs Pendleton

• BHP was held scoreless in the second half for only the 9th time since 2014.
• BHP’s 2 interceptions and 0 passing TDs against Pendleton was the 8th time that has happened since 2014. However, this was the first time BHP has won while completing the feat since 2014.
• BHP’s longest rush against Pendleton was 23 yards. This was only the 5th time BHP gained over 200 rushing yards while having their longest rush less than 25 yards.
• BHP held Pendleton to less than 100 yards passing on 27 attempts. This was the most attempts by a BHP opponent while allowing less than 100 passing yards since 2014.
• The 2 point conversion BHP converted was only the 7th conversion BHP has converted since 2014.

BHP vs Wren

• BHP is 21-14 against Wren all-time and 6-3 under Coach Blackston.
• Last season’s game against Wren was only the 6th time BHP has ever given up 50 or more points to an opponent. BHP is 1-5 in games where they gave up 50 or more points.
• The 29 point loss against Wren last year was only the 5th time since 2000 where BHP has lost by 4 or more TDs.
• The 304 passing yards gained by Wren last season was only the 3rd time BHP has given up 300 or more passing yards in a game since 2014 (others were against Greenville in 2016 - 319 yards and 2017 - 418 yards).

Conclusion

The new season brings on new teams and new situations. Even though Wren doesn’t bring back all of their state championship-winning team, they are the reigning champs and will be until they are officially eliminated. But that will have to wait, as this matchup is another step towards a region championship. For the most part, this game represents a must-win for both teams in order to keep their region championship aspirations alive.

Plus, if this season hasn’t been weird enough, the Bears will take the field at 11:00 am on a Saturday morning. And for me, I will always pick football over cartoons.

Prediction: BHP 31 -- Wren 28

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