Bulldogs 42, Vikings 14
Difference maker: Rucker Wrafi came up with several big catches for first downs to keep Bulldog drives alive.
Stat that matters: Devin Watson scrambled all night long against a dominating Hart County defensive line and only managed to end up with negative-four rushing yards.
Turning point: Quarterback Fouch cut a graceful figure when he ran in and out of several Viking tacklers deep in East Hall territory for a 32-yard gain before punching Hart County’s third touchdown of the night in himself one play later.
Who’s next: Hart County will play in the second round of the AAA playoffs against Cook County.
HARTWELL — Bryan Gray looked over his team of quiet, disappointed East Hall Vikings and gave them a simple message following their 42-14 loss at Hart County.
To Gray, football shouldn’t be just about the wins or losses, but the journey it took to get a team there.
That journey ended Friday night, thanks to Bulldog quarterback Cameron Fouch. The senior (16 of 24 passing) threw for 261 yards, three touchdowns and ran another score to give Hart County a second-round berth in the Class AAA playoffs.
“I told them that this game is about your teammates, about your friends,” Gray said. “Coming out every day and learning some values, that’s been our first priority. They’re shedding a tear right now, but that’s because the season is over. That’s how it goes.”
Hart County (ranked No. 8 in Class AAA) held the Vikings to three scoreless quarters while scoring touchdowns on three consecutive drives midway through the first half to build an insurmountable 21-0 halftime lead.
Hart County will take on Cook County in the second round of the Class AAA playoffs.
Senior quarterback Devin Watson (6-14 passing, 93 yards, 1 touchdown) led a fast-paced fourth-quarter drive 60 yards before running in to score from 4 yards out with 7:25 left in the contest. And his inch-perfect pass to receiver Jacquen Hopkins (2 receptions, 65 yards) was good for a 56-yard touchdown four minutes later.
But the work was too little, too late for East Hall (6-5), which fell in the first round in its first postseason appearance since 2005.
Fouch managed to hit his targets with ease despite freezing temperatures at Pete Herndon Stadium. His 7-yard strike to Anthony Turner (4 receptions, 34 yards) seemed to be a mirror image of his second touchdown when he hit Zach Maldonado (2 receptions, 30 yards) for a 14-0 lead. The pair tightroped down the right sidelines for each score, giving Hart County a comfortable margin.
Head coach William DeVane called his receivers a “matchup nightmare” for opposing defenses.
“We’ve got some good offensive weapons and we’re pretty balanced,” he said after the game. “If you pull your guys out of the box to cover our wide receivers, we’ve got very capable running backs to get you instead.”
Fouch proved he could be a part of that conversation when he pulled off a juking, twisting quarterback sneak through East Hall’s linebackers for a 32-yard gain in the second quarter before finishing off the score himself one play later from the 1.
After the half, senior fullback Keenan Dillon (8 carries, 41 yards) made an impressive one-handed snag from a Fouch pass for a 31-yard gain before scoring on a 20-yard run to push the advantage to 28-0.
Hart County gained 126 yards on 23 rush attempts, compared to East Hall’s 44.
The Bulldogs’ defense swarmed on every drive, forcing Watson to scramble on most pass plays, and preying on any turnover attempt.
Watson’s pass to Jiel Vargas was nearly picked off by junior DJ Craft, who dropped the ball despite being wide open on the far sideline.
“We knew we played a great team,” Gray said. “Their defensive line, I know all of them will be playing on Saturday. But we knew we had to keep fighting. We made some plays and when you play a great opponent, you can’t make any mistakes.”
Senior linebacker Joshua Gaines took advantage of Watson’s lone interception of the night, running it back 25 yards for Hart County’s biggest lead of the night.
But Watson rallied the troops for a fourth-quarter push. Three quick first downs through Jacques Ash and Hopkins put East Hall at first-and-goal for the first time in the game before Watson ended the drive himself from 4 yards.
And a trick play allowed Hopkins all the real estate in the world down the right sideline for him to cut the lead to 42-14 with less than four minutes remaining.
The comeback was too late for the Vikings, many of whom were more than happy to head to a warm bus at the final whistle.
“We’ve got a tremendous heart, a tremendous competitive spirit,” Gray said. “The reality was that our kids played as hard as their kids did. We did everything we could.”