2021 Round 1 Bear Tracks

As BHP hosted the number one team in AAA, the Daniel Lions, the region championship hung in the balance. Even though it was a long shot, there was still a way BHP could win the region. However, nearly from the start, Daniel showed why they are ranked on top of the classification. With the loss to the Lions, BHP slipped to the third seed in Region 1, and with that, they matched up with the Chester Cyclones in their first-round playoff game.

Round 1 Preview

As the regular season comes to an end, a new more finite season starts. A win gives you a reprieve and hope, a loss ends the season as soon as the last second ticks away. With this first round of hope, the third seed in Region 1, BHP will take on the second seed out of Region 4, the Chester Cyclones.

Chester is 6-3 on the season. Their wins came against Fort Mill, Airport, Keenan, Fairfield Central, Hickory (NC), and Mid-Carolina. Their losses came against Providence (NC), Northwestern, and Lower Richland. Chester’s opponents have a combined 32-29 record. This is compared to BHP’s opponent’s 64-33. According to the strength of the schedule matrix from MaxPreps, BHP has the second hardest schedule in AAA this season.

In their wins this season, Chester has averaged nearly 31 points per game while allowing only 9.2 points per game. In their losses this season they have averaged 17.7 points per game allowing 30 points per game.

Chester will look to use their playmaker at quarterback in both the passing and rushing game. In the three region games against the teams that made the playoffs from Region 4, Chester’s Zan Dunham rushed for 342 yards and passed for 344 yards with 8 total touchdowns. Coupled with Malik McCullough who had 246 rushing yards and 123 receiving yards in those games, this tandem will be hard for the Bears to slow down.

On the defensive side of the ball, Chester has two game wreckers in their defensive front 7. Antonio Hopkins and Quez Jackson both have registered 13 tackles for loss this season. Hopkins has 88 total tackles and Jackson has 5 total sacks. Hopkins also has forced 5 fumbles on the season. BHP will need to neutralize these two defensive stalwarts with their running game, misdirections, and play-action passing game.

2010 Game Stats (Last Matchup)

Score: BHP 37 -- Chester 7

Quick Stats

• BHP is 2-0 all-time against Chester with both wins coming in the playoffs.
• BHP is 25-27 all-time in playoff games.
• BHP is 16-10 all-time in round 1 playoff games.
• BHP’s Marquise Henderson is averaging 8.58 yards per carry.
• Henderson needs 305 more rushing yards to eclipse 1,000 yards for the season.
• BHP has not thrown a 3rd quarter touchdown this season.
• 42% of BHP’s offensive touchdowns have come in the 2nd quarter of games this season.
• BHP has outscored opponents by 10 points in the first half of games this season but has been outscored in the second half of games by 61 points.
• In the first 8 games of the season, BHP averaged 64.5 plays per game on offense. In the last two, they averaged only 49.5.
• In the first 7 games this season, BHP averaged 17.3 pass attempts per game. In the last 3 games, BHP averaged 5.3 attempts per game.
• The 102 rushing yards given up to Daniel was the 3rd least given up this season by the Bears (Woodruff - 52 yards and Pendleton - 55 yards).
• BHP’s AJ Pendleton needs 78 more all-purpose yards to have the 10th most all-purpose yards in a season at BHP (602 rushing, 1085 passing, 6 kickoff return).
• BHP’s Eli Strickland needs 1 reception to tie for 10th most career receptions at BHP and Nevada Billups needs 8 to get to 10th all-time in career receptions.
• Strickland needs 90 receiving yards to surpass 500 yards for the season.
• BHP’s Rahzel Scott has 8 career interceptions with 4 coming this season.

Conclusion

The best thing about the playoffs is that the regular season is meaningless. Yes, you can pull from the experience you gained in those games, but your actual wins and losses do not mean anything. Lower seeded teams have just as much opportunity to win as the higher seed does. And that is exactly what the Bears will be looking to do - take the long bus ride home with the hope of a second-round game in their minds.

Prediction: BHP - 28 -- Chester - 21

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