Jackson, Beathard Lead Bobcats To 21-7 Win
Battlefield discovered that they have one of the area's brightest stars potentially in their backfield with junior Nagee Jackson. Jackson transfered from Maryland recently to Battlefield, and on Thursday, he was crucial to helping the Bobcats to a 21-7 victory.
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Jaimie Robinson gets set to dive for a pass from Bo Revell in the corner of the end-zone on Thursday night. Robinson and the Bobcats scored 21 points in the 2nd half to beat Lake Taylor 21-7....
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Lake Taylor's Mario Rowson celebrates after catching a touchdown pass in the 2nd quarter. Rowson got open on a long pass play, and helped the Titans take an early 7-0 lead.
Photo By: Dave Bernhardt / GamedayMagazine | VIEW GALLERY
HAYMARKET, VA - Battlefield had heard the talk about how dominating Lake Taylor had been over the past 5 years, and they were apparently tired of the chatter. After falling behind early, the Bobcats scored 21 unanswered in the final 3 quarters to send the Titans home with a 21-7 defeat.
In the 2nd quarter, Lake Taylor's Mario Rowson put the Titans on the scoreboard first with a 34 yard touchdown catch from Kevin Swofford. Battlefield answered with a solid drive of their own, but for the second time in the first half, they missed a short field goal to keep the score 7-0 in Lake Taylor's favor.
Battlefield threatened a few more times offensively, but Eric Sykes and the Titan defense tightened up each time to keep the Bobcats scoreless heading into the half.
At the half, Bobcat head coach Mark Cox said he told his team he was embarrassed about how they had played in the 1st two quarters, and the message was heard.
"I told them at the half that I was embarrassed," Cox said. "I think we were negative yards the first half."
With 9:06 left in the 3rd quarter, Bobo Beathard ran a wheel route out of the backfield, and quarterback Bo Revell hit him in stride. Beathard then cut back to the middle of the field and scampered untouched into the end-zone.
Beathard's touchdown catch ignited the Bobcat faithful, and at that moment, the momentum of the game changed. Battlefield missed the extra point, but then made everyone forget about it when Andrew Smith recovered a fumble on the return to give the Bobcats 1st and goal inside the 10 yard line.
On the ensuing play, tailback Nagee Jackson took a handoff behind the left side of his offensive line, and scored to put the Bobcats up. Battlefield went for the two point conversion, and converted with Revell connecting with Chris Wendel to make the score 14-7.
"Nagee coming from Maryland, he's used to these type of games," said Cox. "I think our kids fed off of Nagee tonight."
With the game still in reach for the Titans, Swofford and Rowson tried to bring the Titans back from behind, but the Bobcat defense was suffocating. Lake Taylor struggled to run the football in the second half, and Swofford finished just 7 for 23 passing on the night.
Wendle, and fellow linebackers Christian Delgado and Drew Elias played lights out defense, and the game never felt close in the final quarter.
Battlefield added the final score of the game with 10:29 left in the game when Wendle and Revell connected again for a 20 yard touchdown pass and catch. The conversion was good to make the score 21-7.
After the game, Cox reflected on the win.
"It's huge, to be honest with you. They scared me," Cox said. "I think our kids were a little intimidated the first half, but I told them at halftime that if we came out and won the second half, then it would be a ballgame. I'm so proud of my kids, they played their hearts out."
Battlefield improved to 1-0 on the season, and they will play Potomac next week. Lake Taylor fell to 0-1 with the loss.
PLAYMAKERS OF THE GAME:
Presented By: Playmaker Recruiting Report
Bobo Beathard - Battlefield Tailback
Beathard was the catalyst for the Bobcat comeback on Thursday night against Lake Taylor. His 39 yard touchdown catch in the 3rd quarter gave the Bobcats momentum offensively, and they never looked back. He also played well on special teams.
Eric Sykes - Lake Taylor Linebacker
No player dominated on the evening like Sykes, who finished the night with 9 solo tackles. Sykes was a menace from the opening play, and Battlefield really never found an answer for him, other than running away from the talented linebacker. Look for Sykes to be one of the Eastern Region's best this fall.
THE GAME WAS OVER WHEN:
Battlefield recovered a muffed kickoff return after scoring their first touchdown. Lake Taylor never looked the same after allowing the Bobcats to score easily on the next play. Surprisingly, special teams was the strong suit for the Bobcats on Thursday, and that is a good sign because their offense started to show signs that they will be dominant again this fall with time.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
Presented By: AOC Solutions
Rushing Yards:
Lake Taylor - 33 for 102 yards
Battlefield - 36 for 66 yards
Passing Yards:
Kevin Swofford (LT) - 7 of 23 for 154 yards, 1 TD
Bo Revell (BF) - 5 of 12 for 107 yards, 2 TD's
Stat Leaders:
Nagee Jackson (BF) - 16 rushes for 91 yards, 1 TD (5.7 per carry)
Nicholas Oliver (LT) - 10 rushes for 97 yards, (9.7 yards per carry)
COACH HAYES' ANALYSIS:
Presented By:Lendy's Cafe (Virginia Beach, VA)
We ranked Battlefield # 3 in our Gameday Power Poll due out Monday, and for good reason. They have the quarterback with Bo Revell, and they have athletes around him. Few knew how good Nagee Jackson was before the season opener, but they do now. Just a junior, at 6'2 190lbs, he will be a major college football prospect in a short amount of time. Perhaps as soon as college coaches watch the Gameday Replay of the game. He ran hard, and what I liked most about him was he ran north and south.
Most broadcasters don't pay attention to the offensive line play, but Battlefield's line did a great job of opening holes for Jackson and the other backs, and also giving Revell time to throw. That was a major factor in the outcome. Defensively, I think Battlefield may have their best linebacker core in sometime. Wendle is the leader of the pack, and he is always around the football.
I was equally impressed with the Bobcat defensive backs, who covered Mario Rowson well all night long. He had one big play, but with a foot advantage in height over every corner for Battlefield, he was not much of a factor in the game.
As for Lake Taylor, they didn't look like a team that was one game away from a state title a year ago. However, they were missing some major help with Travis Williams being sidelined. With Williams back in the lineup, this team should be much improved in week 2, and head coach Hank Sawyer will see to it that his team improve drastically in the next game.
Keep an eye on receiver Aharon Neil, who was one of the bright spots for the Titans on Thursday. Neil had two great catches for 57 yards in the game, and should be a tough guy to cover for most teams the Titans face.
GAMEDAY REPLAY AVAILABLE:
If you'd like to watch the full TV Game Replay of Battlefield vs Lake Taylor, it is available now on Gameday TV. The game will remain up for a period of two weeks.
