Bridge Bowl, brutal scheduling and BA touchdowns

There’s nothing like a little extra anticipation for two unbeatens squaring off against each other, even if we’re still a week from the season’s midpoint.

It probably would make a good 4x100 relay, too, with all the speed Bluffton and Hilton Head Island will have on the field. Just don’t drop the baton. Or the football, of course.

“If either team has a lot of turnovers,” Bluffton coach Ken Cribb said, “it could get ugly for that team. Either side.”

Let’s hope the game lives up to its billing.

1. If there’s a group that might feel any extra Bridge Bowl incentive, keep an eye on Bluffton’s seniors.

A veteran Bobcats roster sends more than two dozen seniors into their final Bridge Bowl, with one last opportunity to avoid going winless against the Seahawks over their high-school careers.

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Cribb said when the topic came up early in the week. “They haven’t said a word. They’re just working hard. Their goal is a region championship and to advance as far as they can in the playoffs.”

Be that as it may, Seahawks coach B.J. Payne noted that when his 2013 squad snapped Bluffton’s five-game winning streak in the series, a weight was lifted from their shoulders.

“The way our kids found a way to win that night was huge for our program going forward,” Payne said. “And for those (seniors), it had a little extra meaning for them.”

2. What torture specialist put together May River’s schedule?

OK, nobody said building a program from scratch would be easy. And coach Rodney Summers knew that from his days starting up Westwood. But come Friday morning, the Sharks will have completed a first-half gauntlet that featured not only Bluffton and Hilton Head, but Thursday’s game against 3-1 Beaufort.

And next week brings 3-1 Manning to the Sharks’ domain, before region play begins. No truth, however, to the rumor that their open date involves waterboarding.

“We need our own Charleston Science & Academic,” Summers quipped following last week’s loss to Hilton Head.

That would be Charleston Math & Science, which served as a nice get-well opportunity for Battery Creek last week. A 54-0 win allowed the Dolphins to build a little confidence after their six-week crash course in coach Fred Hamilton’s systems.

3. Even better for the Dolphins, they get back to a full complement of players who aren’t injured.

Last week marked the final game for two players to serve out their suspensions handed down following a sideline skirmish last month against Beaufort. Four other players served one-game sentences when BC visited Hilton Head two weeks ago.

“We still haven’t been at full strength in anything we’ve done,” Hamilton said earlier this month.

Combined with injuries, Hamilton had to do a fair amount of moving bodies around to get his best combinations on the field. He also ordered some extra hitting in practice “to toughen our kids up a little bit.”

4. Root for Beaufort Academy touchdowns this month. Better yet, put a pledge behind them.

The Eagles have joined the Touchdowns Against Cancer campaign, which raises funds for cancer research and treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Every BA touchdown scored the rest of September will count toward pledges.

For coach Scott Richards, the project stirs memories from his playing days at East Carolina, when the Pirates made two Liberty Bowls. During bowl week, both teams make visits to St. Jude.

“You begin to think of the game of football in a whole different light,” Richards said. “It was a very moving experience for me at such an early age and really put the game of football in perspective.”

To make a pledge, go online to PledgeIt.org/tac16-beaufort-academy-eagles-beaufort-sc and follow the prompts.

5. Anyone else for daytime kickoffs?

Two weekends featuring a Saturday kickoff (post-Hermine) and a 5 p.m. start at Hilton Head Prep offered a reminder that sunshine-kissed football can be cool.

How about early release on football Fridays, with 5:30 p.m. kickoffs so folks can get to the stadium right after work? That is, for those who didn’t take all of Friday afternoon off to begin with.

Hey, just day-dreaming. Let’s kick this Bridge Bowl off.

This story was originally published September 15, 2016 at 5:18 PM with the headline "Bridge Bowl, brutal scheduling and BA touchdowns."