Bridge Bowl 2014: Hilton Head Island beats Bluffton in low-scoring affair, 12-7

B.J. Payne was sure they could get four more inches.

Late in the fourth quarter, up five and with the Seahawks on their own 27-yard line, the Hilton Head Island High coach rolled the dice.

Instead of six inches, quarterback Aidan Hegarty was stonewalled. All of the sudden, Bluffton High School had the ball deep in opposition territory, the home crowd behind it, and a chance to stick the dagger in the Seahawks.

No worries.

On a wet Friday night, it was the Hilton Head Island defense that would make the closing statement in this one, ultimately forcing a deciding four-and-out by the Bobcats.

It was the defensive pièce de rèsistance in a thrilling, physical 12-7 win over Bluffton, the Seahawks (4-1) second consecutive win in the bitter Bridge Bowl rivalry.

This one was just as tense as last year's edition, and Payne may have made it even more nail-biting than it needed to be with his daring decision.

"Our defense, they played lights out all game. I made the decision, I feel bad because I almost cost our kids a game. We should be able to get four inches. With that being said, it wasn't a 50-50 game. We knew we had put together a great defensive game plan."

They needed to implement it one final time in the closing stages after Tyler Hamilton fumbled on a short run with under 40 seconds left. A double pass petered out and Bluffton quarterback Alex Davis' final prayer was knocked to the ground to seal the win for the Seahawks and send the visiting bleachers into a frenzy. The Seahawks were victorious because when the going got tough, they turned to what has been lacking for most of the year: A potent running attack.

Hegarty snuck in from a yard out late in the third quarter for the opening score after appearing to cross the goal line on the previous attempt. Hamilton slogged his way to 126 yards, but it was DeAngelo Clark, taking the ball out of the wildcat, that sealed the deal for Hilton Head Island High. His 22-yard scamper on 4th and 1 with 8:37 to play put the visitors ahead for good.

"We did what we needed to do when we needed to do it," Payne said of the offense. "We have a lot of things that we need to learn from. We were able to run the ball tonight and do those things. Everybody thinks we can't run the ball, so we were able to show that tonight."

For Bluffton (3-3), they couldn't find a way through a relentlessly physical Seahawks defense. Davis missed the mark on several open receivers before finding Tyrese Sandgren on a short pass late in the third. Sandgren did the rest, trotting another 50 yards before being brought down at the 9-yard line. Davis then turned to his trusty tight end, Jack Aerni, for a 9-yard score to push the Bobcats in front, 7-6. It was the only threat Bluffton would muster. They had a 48-yard scoring pass to Cameron Bent called back for a facemask penalty after Hilton Head had retaken the lead, and had another interception wiped away on a pass interference call.

"Five-yard facemask that didn't have anything to do with the play that called a touchdown back, that didn't go too well," Bluffton coach Ken Cribb said. "The pass interference when we were in position, that didn't go too well."

Perhaps the area's two best football teams battled to a draw at the half, but the game was far from dull. The opening act featured big hit after big hit, plenty of squawking between players and a series of timely, even shoe-string, tackles. But Bluffton couldn't solve Payne's defensive puzzle, and when they had openings, weren't able to exploit them. In total, the Bobcats managed just 191 yards, as opposed to 282 for Hilton Head Island High.

"We didn't play well," Cribb said. "Find out what we're made of right now."

Hegarty, playing in his first rivalry game after missing much of 2013 due to injury, praised his teammates for making all the right plays when it mattered most. For his own part, he played a steady game, rarely flashing big-play potential but avoiding crippling mistakes.

"It was a full team effort, I've never seen anything like it," Hegarty said. "It feels amazing. Great coaching, great blocking, great tackling, everything was great."

Linebacker Thomas Farrell marshaled the defense all night, and stifled attacks through the middle, pressured Davis and helped keep Bluffton from executing any of its standard trickery. The Bobcats didn't play sloppily -- the offense didn't turn the ball over -- but the Seahawks would not give in.

"It was our gameplan," Farrell said. "We just knew we had to get it done. We knew everything they were running."

Perhaps overcome by the nature of a tight rivalry win, Farrell could hardly contain his excitement.

"We've got the best coaching staff in the state, and honestly we're on our way to getting the best team in the state," Farrell said. "Our season starts now, and that's just a preview."

Hilton Head High 12, Bluffton 7

Hilton Head 0 0 6 6 -- 12

Bluffton 0 0 7 0 -- 7

Third quarter

HHI -- Hegarty 1 run (Kick blocked) 2:15

BLF -- Jack Aerni 9 rec from Alex Davis (Kick good) 36.1

Fourth quarter

HHI -- DeAngelo Clark 22 run (Pass failed) 8:37

TEAM STATISTICS

HHH BLF

First Downs 13 9

Rushes-Yards 45-227 30-91

Comp-Att-Int 11-19-0 9-24-0

Passing Yards 55 114

Punts-Avg 6-35.6 8-33.1

Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-0

Penalties-Yards 10-75 7-65

INDIVIDUAL STATS

PASSING: HHH

RUSHING: HHH

RECEIVING: HHH

This story was originally published September 26, 2014 at 11:58 PM with the headline "Bridge Bowl 2014: Hilton Head Island beats Bluffton in low-scoring affair, 12-7."