2025 Round 2 Bear Tracks

The Bears opened their playoff march Friday night against the most familiar foe in school history, welcoming the Palmetto Mustangs to town for the 61st meeting between these two programs. BHP entered the contest with an unblemished 10-0 record and a dominant 53-7 all-time advantage over Palmetto, while the Mustangs limped into the postseason with a 1-9 record that had plenty of folks questioning how they even qualified for playoff football. By night's end, that historical gap would widen to 54-7, and Bear Nation got exactly the statement win they expected from their undefeated squad.

From the opening whistle, BHP made it abundantly clear just how vast the talent gap was between these two teams. Palmetto managed to push past midfield on their first possession, edging just beyond the 50-yard line after a drive of about 25 yards, but the Bears' defense stiffened when it mattered most. Facing fourth and 10, the Mustangs attempted to catch BHP off guard with a fake punt, but the Bears weren't having it. The stuffed fake gave BHP prime field position and set the tone for what would become a thoroughly dominant performance.

The Bears offense needed just two plays to find paydirt. MJ Earle exploded through the line and was gone, a 48-yard touchdown scamper that had the home crowd roaring and put the first points on the board. Palmetto's response told the whole story of the evening. Three consecutive punts netted the Mustangs a grand total of seven yards, and while BHP answered two of those possessions with touchdowns, even the one hiccup couldn't derail the Bears momentum. An uncharacteristic interception gave Palmetto brief hope, but BHP does what championship teams do. They answered that turnover with one of their own, forcing a takeaway and slamming the door on any thoughts of Mustang momentum.

The Bears were relentless, scoring on their next four possessions to build a staggering 49-0 halftime advantage. The first half stats painted a picture of complete dominance. BHP held Palmetto to just 74 total yards before the break, and 25 of those came on a single pass play. The Bears defense was flying around, making tackles, and giving the Mustangs no room to operate. It was the kind of suffocating performance that playoff teams need to establish early, sending a message to future opponents that this squad means business.

If anyone expected BHP to take their foot off the gas after intermission, they were sorely mistaken. The Bears opened the second half exactly as they have all season long, with another touchdown march that covered 90 yards in just six plays. The exclamation point came when quarterback Malachi Bohler uncorked a deep ball to Sheldon Almers, who hauled in the 72-yard scoring strike and extended the lead even further.

Palmetto finally managed to crack the scoreboard late in the contest, notching their first points in the eight quarters they've played against BHP this season. While the Mustangs could take some small satisfaction in avoiding another shutout, the outcome was never in doubt. This was a textbook example of a superior team handling their business against an overmatched opponent, doing exactly what they needed to do to advance.

The Bears accomplished their mission Friday night. They handled a team they had thoroughly beaten earlier in the season, and maintained their focus despite the lopsided score. There were no moral victories to be found here, just a workmanlike performance from a squad that understands the playoffs are about survival and advancement. Every win buys you another week of practice, another week of preparation, another week to chase the ultimate prize. BHP checked all those boxes and now turns its attention to Southside Christian, which awaits next. The playoff journey continues, and Bear Nation wouldn't want it any other way.



Round 2 Preview



The second round of the 3A playoffs arrives at BHP this Friday night, and the stakes could not be clearer for an undefeated BHP squad. The Bears, sitting at 11-0, will host the Southside Christian Sabres, the second seed out of Region 2 who enter this matchup with a 6-5 record that tells only part of their story. This is where the playoff atmosphere shifts from celebration to survival, where one misstep sends a team home for the winter, and where the Bears will face their most complete test since that early season battle with Crescent.

The Sabres' journey to this moment has been anything but conventional. Southside Christian opened their season by throwing themselves directly into the deep end, scheduling some of the most formidable opponents SC had to offer. The results were predictably brutal at first. They fell 42-0 to Abbeville, then dropped consecutive games to Mountain View Prep (43-14), AC Flora (41-6), and Carolina Forest (54-13), with only a 28-0 victory over Saluda breaking up the losing streak. At 1-5, most programs would have been searching for answers and counting down the days until next season. But something remarkable happened when region play arrived. The Sabres found their identity, and more importantly, they found their formula for winning. After an opening region loss to Powdersville (24-0), they reeled off four consecutive victories over Palmetto (38-10), St. Joseph's (27-7), Christ Church (31-0), and Carolina Academy (56-6), before demolishing Chapman 55-15 in last week's first round playoff matchup.

That five-game winning streak to close out the regular season and launch into the playoffs reveals everything you need to know about this Southside Christian team. They are a squad that lives and dies by their ability to establish their identity on the field. The statistics paint a vivid picture of their split personality. In victories, the Sabres average an explosive 39 points per game, overwhelming opponents with a relentless offensive attack. In their losses, that number plummets to a meager 6.6 points per game. The difference between a Southside Christian victory and a Southside Christian defeat often becomes apparent within the first quarter, and it all comes down to whether they can impose their will at the line of scrimmage.

The foundation of the Sabres' offensive success rests entirely on their commitment to the ground game. When they win, they are averaging over 270 rushing yards per game, pounding defenses into submission with wave after wave of downhill running. When they lose, that number drops to just 80 yards per game, and suddenly their entire offensive ecosystem collapses. This is a team that wants to line up, look you in the eye, and dare you to stop them from running the football. Leading that charge is DJ Lee, their workhorse running back who has carried the ball 220 times for 1,209 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. Lee is the heartbeat of everything they do offensively, and the Sabres are not shy about feeding him the football. With 440 rushing attempts as a team resulting in 2,041 yards, efficiency might not be the calling card here, but sheer volume and physical punishment certainly is.

What makes Southside Christian particularly dangerous is the balance and multiplicity they can show once that running game gets rolling. Freshman quarterback Max Breit has proven remarkably adept at exploiting defenses that commit too heavily to stopping the run. He has completed 64 passes for 1,097 yards and 10 touchdowns while also contributing 67 carries for 252 yards and six scores on the ground. His favorite target is Keldin Wrona, a tall, athletic receiver who presents a significant challenge for any secondary. Wrona has hauled in 40 catches for 776 yards and eight touchdowns, and his ability to stretch the field vertically makes it nearly impossible for defenses to load the box without consequence. This Sabres offense might not be balanced in the traditional sense, but they are absolutely lethal in all the ways that matter, presenting the most complete offensive challenge this BHP defense has faced since that early season showdown with Crescent.

Defensively, Southside Christian deploys a scheme that stands out as genuinely unusual in the high school landscape. They run a three-down lineman front with four linebackers, but what separates their approach from typical 3-4 defenses is the extreme depth at which their defensive backs play. It is not uncommon to see their safeties positioned 25 yards off the line of scrimmage, with cornerbacks playing with 10 to 15 yard cushions. The philosophy is clear and unapologetic. They want to bring pressure with their front seven, force opposing offenses to be patient and methodical, and ensure that their defensive backs keep everything in front of them. This approach helps them read passing plays more effectively, reduces explosive plays dramatically, and forces opponents to sustain lengthy drives without making mistakes. It is a bend-but-don't-break mentality taken to its logical extreme.

The Sabres defense is anchored by a collection of players who will spend most of Friday night on the field playing both ways. Linebackers Richie Maxwell and Cole Brancati form the heart of this unit, with Maxwell leading the team with 75 total tackles and eight tackles for loss while Brancati adds 62 total tackles and 11 tackles for loss. On the defensive line, Nigel Rock and Ben Bobo create havoc in opposing backfields with impressive regularity. Rock leads the team with 21 tackles for loss, 34 hurries, and 10 sacks, while Bobo contributes 17 tackles for loss and eight sacks. Then there is Wrona, who proves to be just as dangerous on defense as he is catching touchdowns on offense. He leads the team with six interceptions to go along with five pass breakups and 63 total tackles. With only about 30 players suited up for each week, most of the Sabres roster will be going both ways, which creates both opportunities and challenges that BHP must be prepared to exploit.

For the Bears, this matchup presents three critical areas that will determine whether they advance to the third round or watch their perfect season come to an abrupt end. First and foremost, BHP must establish physical dominance and execute fundamental tackling on every snap. Southside Christian is playing with limited numbers, and sustained physicality on both sides of the ball can test their conditioning and collective will as the game progresses. On defense, tackling becomes paramount because the Sabres want to lean on their running game and control the clock through sheer volume. Missed tackles that turn three-yard gains into seven-yard gains will extend drives and keep the BHP offense on the sideline. Every defender must wrap up, finish tackles, and make sure drives end rather than continue.

Second, the Bears must find ways to be explosive offensively despite the unconventional defensive looks they will face. Those deep safeties create an interesting challenge, but they also present opportunities for a BHP offense that possesses significant athletic advantages at multiple positions. The Bears need to attack the edges, get receivers in space where they can make defenders miss, and utilize the running game in creative ways that maximize explosiveness. BHP has been explosive all season long, and maintaining that identity against a defense specifically designed to prevent explosive plays will be crucial.

Third, and perhaps most intriguing, is how this BHP team responds if things do not go according to plan early. The Bears have spent most of this season dominating opponents on both sides of the ball. On paper, they have faced very few teams capable of consistently scoring against their defense or slowing down their offense. Southside Christian represents a different challenge, a team with the offensive firepower to put points on the board and the defensive scheme to potentially slow down the BHP attack. How the Bears respond if the Sabres manage to score first, or if the offense faces adversity in the first quarter, will reveal volumes about this team's mental toughness and championship character.

The playoff march continues, but the stakes remain brutally simple. Win and the season continues. Lose and the season ends. Adding another layer to Friday night's atmosphere is the very real possibility that this could be the final home game of the season for the Bears, depending on how other playoff games shake out across the bracket. All of that creates a responsibility for Bear Nation to show up and create the highest energy, most electric atmosphere of the entire season. This undefeated team has given the community countless reasons to believe, and now the community must give them every advantage that a rocking home crowd can provide. The competition level increases with each passing week in the playoffs, but the standard remains unchanged. BHP must play to their identity, execute their brand of physical, explosive football, and look to dominate every aspect of this game from the opening kickoff to the final whistle. The Sabres will bring their best effort, their best scheme, and their best fight, but the Bears must answer with a performance that leaves no doubt about which team deserves to advance. Friday night, the second round awaits, and the march toward a championship continues.



Previous Matchup: 2024 Round 1



Score: BHP 63 -- Southside Christian 20

2024 Round 1 BHP Stats:
Team Rushing: 25 rushes for 349 yards and 6 TDs
Team Passing: 8/15/0 for 130 yards and 3 TDs
Team Total: 40 plays for 479 yards and 9 TDs

Rushing Leader: #3 Marquise Henderson - 11 rushes for 192 yards and 2 TDs
Passing Leader: #7 Noah Thomas - 8/15/0 for 130 yards and 3 TDs
Receiving Leader: #5 Tajeh Watson-Martin - 3 receptions for 78 yards and 1 TD
Defensive Leader: #12 Norikus Cowan - 3 Solo Tackles, 1 Blocked Kicks, 1 Pass Break-up, 20 Defensive Points

2024 Round 1 Southside Christian Offensive Stats:
Team Rushing: 16 rushes for 9 yards
Team Passing: 21/35/0 for 247 yards and 3 TDs
Team Total: 51 plays for 256 yards and 3 TDs

Rushing Leader: #1 DJ Lee - 4 rushes for 22 yards
Passing Leader: #3 Jack Criswell - 21/35/0 for 247 yards and 3 TD
Receiving Leaders: #4 Zane Haggy - 5 receptions for 98 yards and 1 TD



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Wrap Up



Friday night represents more than just another step in the playoff bracket. It's the kind of moment that defines programs and creates the memories Bear Nation will carry for years to come. The Bears have spent eleven weeks building something remarkable, and now they stand 48 minutes away from the third round with everything still within reach. Southside Christian will walk onto that field believing they can pull off the upset, and that confidence makes them dangerous. But BHP has earned the right to be confident too, earned it through preparation, through physicality, through executing their identity week after week without compromise. The Sabres will discover what every other opponent has learned this season: when the Bears play their brand of football, when they impose their will from the opening snap, there's no scheme or strategy that can overcome that level of execution. The opportunity is there. The stage is set.


Prediction: BHP 49 - Southside Christian 14

We want to see every Bear Fan packed into those home stands this Friday to support Them Big Bad Bears. If you can't, stay connected and get instant notifications when our posts drop by following us on Facebook and X. This season brings something special to the table, so make sure to subscribe to The Bear Rumble Podcast where myself and some special guests dive deep into all things BHP football. Stay plugged in, because come Friday, we'll be dropping the GameDay Graphic and providing live tweets with stats and highlights throughout the entire game.

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