The Bears got back to home cooking after three straight road games, and the Bears picked up right where they left off. BHP hosted Southside and outmatched the Tigers in every aspect of the game as the Bears celebrated homecoming.
BHP once again cruised on offense, ending the game with 300 rushing yards and 150 yards in the air. Marquise Henderson got his customary 100 yards rushing, highlighted by a 50-yard rush. The Pendleton to Strickland connection was as potent as ever. AJ Pendleton found his favorite target Eli Strickland 4 times for 72 yards and 3 of the 4 connections went for TDs.
As impressive as the offense was against Southside, the defense was the star of the show Friday night. In the first half BHP only allowed 30 total yards to Southside and only 102 in the total game. This was the best game for the BHP pass rush. BHP put pressure on Southside from the edges all night. Couple that with the team tackling, and this defense showed their potential.
We mentioned the offense and defense, and after Friday night we cannot leave out special teams. The biggest special teams play was the blocked punt and return for a touchdown on the last play of the first quarter. Along with the blocked punt, BHP also had great punt returns by Eli Strickland (3 returns for 18.3 per return). And last but not least, Peter Bertoni has now converted 40 consecutive PAT attempts.
BHP now has to put these last three inferior teams behind them, but maintain their same level of dominance this Friday as they host the Wren Hurricanes.
Week 10 Preview
BHP will host Wren in the last regular season game of the season. As the end of the regular season should, this matchup has massive playoff implications. The winner of this game will finish second in the region and secure a first-round home playoff game.
Wren will come into this matchup with a record of 3-6 and 3-1 in the region. The record is not impressive until you look at their opponents. We said this for Powdersville, but Wren has played the hardest schedule in 3A. Wren’s non-conference slate went like this: Jefferson (5A school out of Georgia, currently 6-2 on the season), Seneca, T.L. Hanna, Byrnes, and Hillcrest. In those games (all losses) Wren allowed 43.2 points per game while scoring 15.4.
After that brutal start of the year, Wren made it to region play and has feasted on the same opponents BHP has. Against Palmetto, Southside, and Fountain Inn (all wins) Wren averaged 48.7 points per game and only allowed 11.7. They are coming off a loss against Powdersville last week 51 to 21.
As cliche it sounds, the season records will have no bearing on this game. Yet, the Wren team that the Bears will play this season will look and play nothing like the team they played last season.
Last season this matchup had the same stakes and provided one of the most exciting BHP games in years - a game with an onside kick, kickoff return TD, and a last-second pick 6. And personally, Marquise Henderson’s 73-yard pick-six last year is one of the top 5 individual plays all-time at BHP. Although the Bears came up short on the 2-point conversion try and lost by 1 point, the last matchup between these two teams was special.
And for this year, hopefully, the Bears do not allow this game to be that close. The Bears have to build on their success so far this season and not only make a statement Friday night but also start putting fear in potential playoff opponents.
2021 Game Stats (Last Matchup)
Score: BHP 40 -- Wren 41
BHP Yardage:
Team Rushing: 44 rushes for 325 yards and 4 TDs
Team Passing: 2/5/1 for 108 yards and 1 TD
Team Total: 49 plays for 433 yards and 5 offensive TDs
Rushing Leader: #18 Marquise Henderson - 10 rushes for 127 yards and 2 TDs
Passing Leader: #7 AJ Pendleton - 2/4/0 for 108 yards and 1 TD
Receiving Leaders: #15 Nevada Billups - 1 reception for 87 yards and 1 TD
Defensive Leader: #24 Jamias Glenn - 5 first hits, 4 TFL, 1 sack, and 36 defensive points
Wren Team Yardage:
Team Rushing: 40 rushes for 184 yards and 4 TDs
Team Passing: 17/31/3 for 228 yards and 1 TD
Team Total: 71 plays for 412 yards and 5 offensive TDs
Rushing Leader: #21 Malachi Hill - 21 rushes for 165 yards and 3 TDs
Passing Leader: #5 Gavin Owens - 17/31/3 for 228 yards and 1 TD
Receiving Leaders: #1 Trey Horne - 4 receptions for 91 yards
Quick Stats
- BHP is 21-17 all-time against Wren.
- The shutout against Southside was the first shutout since week 8 in 2019 against Pickens.
- Peter Bertoni has 48 PATs this season, 7 away from tying the BHP record for most PATs in a season.
- BHP is averaging 43.9 points per game. This would be a school record for most points per game in a season if the season ended today.
- BHP has a points differential per game of 28.1 points per game, which would be 2nd all-time to the 1999 team with a 29.1 points per game differential.
- BHP has gained 20 or more yards on 47 plays, or 10% of total plays.
- Eli Strickland is 3 receptions away from being in the top 5 all-time BHP career receptions leaders (currently has 62 career receptions).
- Eli Strickland is 67 receiving yards away from surpassing 1,000 career receiving yards.
- AJ Pendleton is tied for 7th most passing yards in BHP history with 2,469 career passing yards.
- AJ Pendleton is 377 all-purpose yards away from surpassing 4,000 career all-purpose yards (that mark would move him to 8th all-time in all-purpose yards).
- AJ Pendleton currently has a 68.5% completion percentage for the season, that would be a BHP season record (the current record is 68.4%).
- Marquise Henderson is 87 rushing yards away from surpassing 2,000 career rushing yards.
- BHP has had only 3 negative-yardage offensive plays in the last 3 games combined.
- BHP forced 9 negative yardage offensive plays against Southside, the most all season.
- BHP has forced a turnover in every game except against Emerald.
- BHP is 85 total yards away from gaining 4,000 total yards for the season.
- BHP's Caleb Crenshaw ties a BHP record with 4 tackles for loss in a game against Southside.
Conclusion
This will be the 39th matchup between BHP and Wren. The stakes are high as well as the expectations for the Bears. BHP has to show that they can be explosive on offense and defense no matter the opponent. We are excited to get this one kicked off Friday night!
Prediction: BHP 43 - Wren 21
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