After 27 days, Bobcats finally get to kick season off again

The last time the Bluffton Bobcats played a down of football, there had been only one presidential debate.

Arnold Palmer was still with us. Tom Brady was still suspended by the NFL. The Cubs and Indians were just setting their playoff rotations.

And, of course, Hurricane Matthew hadn’t paid a visit. Anywhere.

The 27-day layoff finally comes to an end Friday, when the Bobcats become the final area team to retake the field, seeking to remain unbeaten when they host Ridgeland-Hardeeville in a Region 8-3A contest.

“Man, it’s been a while,” coach Ken Cribb said. “They’ve been kind of anxious to get back to normality. I guess the test will come Friday night. We’ll see how we look.”

With Hurricane Matthew’s impact forcing schedules to be rejiggered, the Bobcats (7-0) found themselves with an extra week to kill as their open date fell upon the first Friday back to competition. Bluffton hasn’t played since Sept. 30, when kicker D.J. Chappelear made headlines with nine field goals against May River.

Chappelear’s performance tied a national high school record but quickly fell off the radar as Matthew’s presence grew.

Fortunately for the Bobcats, Cribb said, nobody suffered any major damage or hardship from Matthew’s wrath. They went back to work at the first opportunity, as Cribb sought to balance getting his players sharp while keeping them at a low roar.

“We just kind of pretended like it was preseason that first week,” Cribb said. “More time on the (blocking) sleds, more time in the weight room, more time in ball drills.

“We’ve gone hard for a long time. To have some real down time, I think it may be beneficial for us. I know they’re a little bit antsy right now to get to playing. But I really think they’re going to be rejuvenated. I don’t think you’re going to see a lot of rust.”

Bluffton, No. 2 in the Class 3A rankings, is one of just seven unblemished teams remaining in High School League competition. Their 48.0 scoring average also tops the state, hitting the 50-point mark four times in seven outings.

In a statistical oddity, the Bobcats, even with the layoff, have tallied 12 touchdowns since Ridgeland-Hardeeville’s last. The Jaguars (2-5) have been shut out in their past two outings — bookending the break — and have scored all of 12 points since August.

This story was originally published October 27, 2016 at 11:43 PM with the headline "After 27 days, Bobcats finally get to kick season off again."