COLUMBIA – PCS coach Joey Hawkins couldn’t have scripted a better first game for his Bobcats. Well, he could have scripted a better one, but it wouldn’t have been realistic.
The unknown at running back was a question mark, but it was answered in his team’s 38-18 win over West Marion last Thursday. The Bobcats had as many as 11 new players on the field seeing their first action, too.
“We were pleasantly surprised with our running game,” Hawkins said. “Anytime you rush for more than 400 yards in a game, I never expected that.”
Hawkins has been saying he’ll have multiple running backs trying to replace the 30-plus carries Isaiah Woullard would get every game last year, so he was going to use three or four players to fill that void. In the first game of the season, he wanted to keep his players fresh for the second half.
PCS was only winning by two points at half time, but it quickly proved it was more conditioned than West Marion, outscoring the Trojans 17-0 in the third quarter.
“The first game, when you have that kind of humidity, you have to be fresh late in the third quarter,” Hawkins said. “Our offensive line is pretty good and they can wear you down, so that was the big difference. We were a little fresher down the stretch, and that’s what gave us the separation.”
With all of the new players playing their first game last week, the Bobcats could be even better this week.
“We’re looking forward to seeing a lot of improvement this week,” Hawkins said. “I think from the first to the second game it’s always you’re most improvement. We just have to continue to play faster, don’t hesitate and don’t think too much. Just react. Those are the things we’re trying to get across to the kids.”
Columbia Academy is coming off a successful 9-3 season, but the quarterback, leading receiver and top rusher all graduated. The Cougars had a couple of sophomores lead them to a 35-28 win over Silliman Institute, though.
Quarterback Ras Pace passed for 158 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions on 11-of-23 passing, and Riles Stuart carried the ball 18 times for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Jake Brewer added 85 yards on 10 carries.
“Their kids play so hard,” Hawkins said. “They have a big, huge offensive line and they block. That poses a lot of problems. Their backs run downhill well, they have a nice throwing game, they have some really outstanding receivers and they’re quarterback manages the game well.
“They’ve done a great job of replacing a lot of key starters, and they have that team playing really well.”
On defense, four of the top five tacklers graduated, and a freshman from last season led the team with eight tackles and three tackles for loss. Sophomore Patrick Gill didn’t have but a few tackles in 2016, but began this season with a bang, and he also added a pass deflection and a forced fumble.
“They get to the ball, they really tackle well, so we have a good football game Friday night, I’ll tell you that,” Hawkins said. “They had a great year last year, and you can tell they’re playing with a lot of confidence. It’ll be a game where we have to play well, and we’ll have to earn everything we get.”
The matchup is set for a 7 p.m. kick in Columbia
