2024 Week 8 Bear Tracks

Bear fans, buckle up! After a mid-season bye week and a storm that feels like it blew straight out of Noah’s Ark, your Bears are back on track and revved up for the second half of the season. Before we dive into the upcoming face-off against Crescent, let’s rewind and break down how the season has shaped up so far. It's been one for the record books, but there’s still a lot of football left to play.

The Bears kicked off the season with a bang—a 45-14 thumping of Broome, followed by a 37-7 domination over Greer, and a 55-6 dismantling of Laurens. Then came the real test against Westside, where the Rams unleashed their firepower and handed the Bears a 55-14 loss. Not exactly what we were hoping for, but the Bears rallied like champions, bouncing back with a 37-14 win over Palmetto and a solid 42-7 victory against Chapman. Finally, two weeks ago, BHP took a road trip to West Oak and came back with a resounding 55-6 victory for their first region win of the season. Fast forward, and here we are 6-1 on the season, 1-0 in the region, and looking as hungry as ever.

Individually, the Bears have some serious firepower. On offense, Marquise Henderson is tearing up the turf with 70 carries for a whopping 973 yards and 12 touchdowns, boasting a jaw-dropping 13.9 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Noah Thomas has been dishing out passes like a seasoned vet, with 51 completions on 92 attempts, totaling 927 yards and 12 touchdowns. Noah’s top target? Tajeh Watson-Martin, who’s snagged 14 catches for 397 yards and five touchdowns. On average, the Bears are racking up 40.7 points, 250.9 rushing yards, and 134.4 passing yards per game—a recipe for offensive dominance.

But let’s not forget about the Bears’ rock-solid defense. Tye Kelly and KJ Miles are tied for the team lead with 32 total tackles, while Kylan Dixon is a beast in the backfield, leading with nine tackles for loss—he even matched the school record twice with four TFLs in games against Laurens and West Oak. Justin Lathon has been a menace to opposing quarterbacks with four QB hurries, and KJ Miles is making the secondary proud with two interceptions. Not to be outdone, Tajeh Watson-Martin and Norikus Cowan each have four pass breakups, leading the team. And the defense has chipped in on the scoreboard, too, with defensive touchdowns from Jakyri Anderson, Patrick Sloan, and Watson-Martin himself. So far, this squad has only allowed 15.6 points, 120 rushing yards, and 82.6 passing yards per game. That, my friends, is a defense you can hang your hat on.

The Bears have steamrolled through the first half of the season, but there’s no trophy for half a season. With a region championship and playoff runs on the horizon, this team still has a mountain to climb. They’re just scratching the surface of what they’re capable of, and I have a feeling the best is yet to come (I think I have heard that somewhere before).

So, Bear Nation, get ready. The season has been a blast, but now we’re entering the real grind. Them Bears are about to bring the fireworks, and trust me—you won’t want to miss a second of it!



Week 8 Preview



After nearly two solid weeks of downtime post-West Oak, the Bears are refreshed, refocused, and ready to rumble. They’ve spent those fourteen days honing in on Crescent, fine-tuning their skills, and getting a bit of R&R. Now, the Bears are back on the gridiron, stepping into their second region matchup with Crescent—a team that’s been something of a slow-burn surprise this season.

Crescent’s season debut was hardly a confidence-builder; they took a 20-6 loss against Saluda, who, by the way, is sitting pretty at 5-0. Not a terrible showing, considering Saluda’s record. Then they faced Palmetto in a nail-biter that slipped away in overtime, 34-28. After that, Crescent found themselves holding a solid halftime lead against the undefeated Mountain View Prep (or MVP, as they call themselves), though MVP surged back to take it 48-21 win. But here’s where things get interesting: from that point on, Crescent seemed to hit their stride, knocking down Ninety Six 36-16, and then demolishing West Oak 56-7.

Crescent’s offense is led by sophomore quarterback Mason Evans, son of Head Coach Sheldon Evans. And don’t let the “sophomore” label fool you—he can play. He’s a dual threat, nailing deep passes to his targets, Tron Paul and Amiri Acker, while keeping defenses on their toes with his mobility. Just ask Mountain View Prep, who watched him scamper in for a 19-yard touchdown and hit a handful of deep passes in the first half alone.

As for the men up front, Crescent’s offensive line boasts some serious size. They bring four returning starters on the offensive line, with behemoths like Jacob Duncan and Maliaki Graydon, both standing at 6'3" and weighing north of 300 pounds. Not only is Duncan a powerhouse in the trenches—leading in TFLs and Sacks last season—but he’s also the punter. That’s right, a 300-pound punter. Big man, big leg, indeed.

Now, the Bears. Coming off a bye week, the big question is whether BHP hits the field in stride or stumbles through a bit of rust. They’ve brought serious energy these last couple of games, so let’s see if they keep that fire burning or need a couple of quarters to reignite the flame.

And then there’s Marquise Henderson. BHP played it safe with him against West Oak, holding him out as a precaution. But with Crescent giving up a whopping 233 rushing yards to MVP’s Jaylen McGill, the stage could be set for Henderson to take the reins and rack up yards. Or will BHP go for a repeat of their “Air Bear” strategy that worked so well against West Oak?

The Bears are finally back home, and the excitement is palpable. Here’s hoping the rest week provides just the edge they need as they gear up for a deep playoff run. It’s time to bring the roar back to Bear Country.



Previous Matchup: 1993



Score: BHP 47 -- Crescent 3

 

 

Quick Stats





Wrap Up



It’s almost Friday night and the BHP Bears will be back where they belong—in the Bear Den. The autumn air finally has that crisp bite, and while the temps are moving down, the Bears are anything but cooling off. If there’s a chill in the air, it’s because these boys are heating up so fast they’re leaving the atmosphere gasping for breath.

So here we are, Bear fans. This is what we’ve been waiting for: the first step toward a deep playoff run. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, because there’s a region championship to lock down first. And the next step towards that has Crescent standing in the way.

Prediction: BHP 49 - Crescent 14

We want to see all of you Bear fans at Palmetto to support the Bears this Friday. But if you can't, don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and X. Stay in the loop. Because Friday, we will be dropping the GameDay Graphic and will be live Tweeting stats and highlights during the game.

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