Bulldogs end season with loss to Bishops

THE DOG DAYS ARE OVER: Silver Bluff quarterback Cordrea Tankersley finds some early running room in the Bulldogs’ 21-0 loss to Bishop England. Staff photo by Rob Novit.

CHARLESTON -- The Bishop England Bishops demonstrated why they're the No. 2 Class AA team in the state Friday, wearing down Silver Bluff 21-0 in the Class AA, Division II Lower State finals Friday night.

With several players going both ways, the Bulldogs hung tough with the Bishops, nearly managing a scoreless tie at the half. But Bishop England struck for a David Groghan pass to Andrew Bunch of 19 yards with just 1:03 left before intermission.

The Bishops then grinded out a pair of long drives in the second half to put Silver Bluff away. In the first half, the Bulldogs recovered two fumbles and intercepted a pass in the end zone to keep the Bishops at bay. But the Dogs could never get past Bishop England's 30 during the contest.

Silver Bluff coach Al Lown praised Bishop England for its fine showing throughout the season, noting the Bishops hadn't given up more than 14 points in any game. But Lown was thrilled with the Bulldogs' effort in getting this deep into the playoffs.

"We came back from a 3-3 record, with a lot of people having already given us up for dead a long time ago," he said. "I'm so proud of our coaches and players. We're losing a few seniors like Cordrea Tankersley and Blake Robbins, but we've got a lot of people coming back. If they can get in the weight room and work hard, we'll have a pretty good team next year."

Silver Bluff's Rekem McCorkle accounted for two of the turnovers in the first half. He wrestled the ball away from a would-be receiver in the end zone to thwart one good drive by the Bishops. McCorkle also grabbed a fumble in Bishop England territory to provide the Bulldogs their best scoring chance. But Silver Bluff couldn't convert a fourth-down play just outside the 30.

Bishop England didn't have terrific numbers running the ball, but Groghan and Bunch managed to keep moving the chains. The big play in the first half came through the air, with Bunch grabbing a short pass and breaking three tackles en route to a 42-yard gain. Bunch was wide open for the game's first touchdown when a defensive back slipped at the goal line.

The Bishops' "offensive line came off the ball well, and their defensive line was solid," Lown said. "That was the key to the game. They deserved this victory, and it's going to take a heck of an effort for somebody to beat them. But we'll be back."

Game summary

Silver Bluff 0 0 0 0 - 0

Bishop England 0 7 7 7 - 21

Second quarter

BE - Andrew Bunch 19 pass from Danny Groghan (Drew Costa kick)

Third quarter

BE - Bunch 18 run (Costa kick)

Fourth quarter

BE - Groghan 7 run (Costa kick)

Rushing - SB, Tyler Fishalow 9-55, Dontay Ingram 2-7, Cordrea Tankersley 6-14, Shaquez Wright 6-18, R.J. Stallings 3-5. BE, Bunch 18-77, Groghan 23-86, Nick Theos 4-19.

Passing - SB, Tankersley, 2-5 1yard, BE Groghan 10-12- 1 137 yards.

Receiving - McKenzie Wilson 1-3, David Crawford 1-minus 1. Receiving - McKenzie Wilson 1-3, David Crawford 1-minus 1. BE, Bunch 5-89, DeAngelo Stephenson 2-25, Nick Theos 3-23.