Bethesda Academy claims second SCISA AA state championship in three years

           Orangeburg  -- Bethesda Academy took on Pee Dee Academy in the SCISA AA state championship football game for the second straight year on Saturay. PDA was the defending chamiion, having whipped the Blazers 52-14.

           This time around, BA folled past the Golden Eagles 54-15 at South Carolina State's Oliver C. Dawson Stadium to capture their second title in three years.

           “They beat us last year and we were very hungry to come back and finish the deal,” Bethesda head coach Antwain Turner said. “This group of seniors, they got in the weight room, they ran track, they did everything we asked them to do and I can’t be more proud of what they’ve done to accomplish this goal. Three state championship appearances for the senior class and two out of three wins is not bad. I’m very proud of these guys today.”,

           “I knew we were going to have a (big) game today,” senior running back Jordan Cheever said. “I was wishing for more yards but he took us out (in the second half).”

           Cheever had 145 yards and three touchdowns on just nine carries.

           Sophomore quarterback Jordan Turner was 4-for-5 for 132 yards and threw three touchdown passes, two to Raleigh Wesley and one to Braylen Martin.

           “We felt disappointed last year, about not getting it (a state title),” Turner said. “But we put in a lot of work, a lot of practice, coming in on Saturdays in the offseason. We just had that mentality.”

           That mentality showed just after the kickoff.

           “We kept thinking about what changes they would make,” Coach Turner said. “They made a few changes and our guys did a really good job of making the adjustments and we came out and executed. Our coaches did a phenomenal job of preparation. It was just a great team effort today.”

           Bethesda needed just 17 plays and seven first downs to build a 46-8 halftime lead on Pee Dee. 

           The Golden Eagles fumbled on their first possession, which set up Turner’s 67-yard touchdown pass to Wesley and a 2-point conversion run from Wesley to get things started.

           After a second Pee Dee fumble, Cheever capped a short drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge. The conversion attempt failed but the Blazers closed out the first quarter with a 14-0 lead.

           In the second quarter the Blazers defense forced another turnover, this time on downs, and on their next possession Turner dashed into the end zone on a 25-yard run. 

           The Golden Eagles pulled things together and cranked out an 11-play 72-yard scoring drive for their only score of the first half. Tristan Heckman scored on an 8-yard touchdown run at the 3:29 mark of the second, then passed to Judson Martin for the 2-point conversion.

           The Blazers finished the final three minutes of the first half on Cheever’s 54-yard touchdown scamper at the 1:11 mark, and after a third Pee Dee fumble, Turner’s 36-yard touchdown pass to Braylen Martin with a minute to go.

           The Blazers held the Golden Eagles to 51 rushing yards and 13 passing yards on 29 snaps in the first half.

           With a running clock in the second half, Cheever’s third touchdown run, this one for 58 yards, came early in the third quarter. From that point both teams made many substitutions. 

           Junior defensive lineman Walker Trussell, lining up as a running back in PDA's single wing offense, had five straight carries to lead the Golden Eagles to the last score of the game, his 2-yard TD run with 4:54 left.

           “Bethesda is a great football team, great program, well-coached. They deserved to win the game, but our kids put in a great year,” Pee Dee head coach Jonathan King said. “From what we lost from last year, most people wrote us off before the season ever started. We’ve had a lot of questions all summer long and preseason, but I knew we had a potential with the kids we have on this team. They worked hard, had a great summer, great practices. These kids didn’t’ want to be written off and they showed it in the way they played.”

Bethesda         14        32        8         0         –         54 

Pee Dee           0         8         0         7         –         15

First Quarter

B -Raleigh Wesley 67 pass from Jordan Turner (Wesley run) 8:14 

B - Jordan Cheever 1 run (pass failed) 1:25

Second Quarter

B - Turner 25 run (Cheever run) 9:41

P - Tristan Heckman 8 run (Judson Martin pass from Heckman) 3:29

B - Cheever 54 run (Jeffrey Armstrong run) 2:40

B - Wesley 23 pass from Turner (Wesley pass from Turner) 1:11

B - Braylen Martin 36 pass from Turner (Turner run) :57 

Third Quarter

B - Cheever 58 run (Jeffrey Armstrong run) 10:07

Fourth Quarter

D - Walker Trussell 2 run (Jacob Freeman kick) 4:54

 BA       PDA

First downs      10        10

Rushes-yds      17-243 41-118

Passing yds     132      19

Att-Com-Int      5-4-0    4-2-0

Fumbles-lost    1-1       6-3

Penalties-yds   3-30     3-25

Punts-avg        0-0.0    2-32.5

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING

B - Jordan Cheever 9-145, Raleigh Wesley 2-9, Luke Larson 2-34, Rahn Brown 1-12, Jamarri Young 1-5, Jordan Turner 2-38. P - Tristan Heckman 15-50, Judson Martin 9-(-1), Brayden Lewis 7-(-7), Walker Trussell 5-39, Chandler James 3-39, Ryan Small 1-0.

PASSING

B - Jordan Turner 4-5-0. P - Tristan Heckman 1-2-0, Judson Martin 1-1-0, Miles Wiggins 0-1-0.

RECEIVING

B - Raleigh Wesley 2-90, Braylen Martin 1-36, Luke Larson 1-6. P - Gage Elliott 1-13, Lucas Elliott 1-6.

SCISA Championships

Friday

AAAA

Northwood 61, Heathwood Hall 7

8-Man

W.W. King 50, Laurens Academy 36

Saturday

AA

Bethesda 54, Pee Dee 15

Class A

Williamsburg 34, Colleton Prep 14

AAA

Pinewood Prep 55, Wiison Hall 13