'Toppers Set Passing Record in Rout of Jefferson County
by TREY WILLIAMS
TriCitiesSports.com
September 20, 2019
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- Science Hill leading rusher Chris Thomas didn’t play Friday against Jefferson County due to a shoulder injury. Quarterback Connor Batchelder and some swift targets shouldered the load, instead.
The Hilltoppers passed for a Kermit Tipton Stadium record 363 yards and running back Malik Bowman rushed 12 times for 48 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown, and caught four passes for 73 yards as the Hilltoppers rolled to a 42-8 victory.
Science Hill (2-3) improved to 2-0 in Region 1-6A. The Patriots fell to 1-1 in the region and 3-2 overall.
Batchelder completed 11 of his first 12 passes, and the incompletion was a drop. He finished 24-of-33 passing for 298 yards and three TDs.
“I think the receivers and the quarterbacks played very well,” Science Hill coach Stacy Carter said. “I think the team really stepped up not having Chris. I thought Malik Bowman played outstanding. I just think the team really rallied around that (Thomas’ injury).”
Bowman parlayed screen passes into a great deal of yardage after catches. Fellow senior Marquis Griffin had six catches for 91 yards and two TDs. Cole Torbett (eight catches, 83 yards) and Solomon Dunn (two catches, 41 yards) were rewarding targets, too.
“He threw those slants well and he put those in tight windows,” Carter said. “And Cole Torbett made some unbelievable catches too in tight windows. He’s one of those that can get in there like the New England Patriots have – they can get in there and catch it across the middle. He did a super job.”
Bowman set the tone. He capped the Hilltoppers’ first scoring drive with the long TD run. He jump-started that 75-yard drive by making a fingertip catch on third-and-seven and then finishing through contact to get perhaps a yard beyond the first down marker at the Science Hill 36-yard line.
He juked a safety and accelerated away from the pursuit on the TD run. His explosiveness was also evident on two screen receptions of 30-plus yards.
“They’re strong in the box; Jefferson County always is,” Carter said. “We had some big runs, but they had some big stops, too. Malik’s a good runner. We know he can do the running. But I think it came down to having to throw, and our screens were really executed well. …
“Malik made some great runs early, making people miss when they were blitzing like crazy. The thing about it is he’s one of our best defensive players and we didn’t play him (on defense), and we were still able to play good on defense, too. It was a good night all the way around.”
Bowman was the star in the eighth grade. A trying high school career has been mostly spent at linebacker.
“It felt good getting back on the field and running the ball,” Bowman said. “All week at practice they’ve been telling me, ‘Just be yourself. Be the old you.’ And I was like, ‘Yes sir. I’ve got you.’”
Griffin smiled at mention of Bowman’s performance.
“Most people think about Chris and how good Chris is,” Griffin said. “But Malik – he’s up there, too. He’s a good runner. He’s strong with the ball.”
Griffin’s 10-yard TD reception on third-and-two gave and Kade Hensley’s PAT made it 14-0 with 2:03 left in the first quarter. Griffith, described aptly as a “jitterbug” by Bowman, added a 21-yard TD catch on third-and-17, and Hensley’s PAT made the score 21-0 with 7:52 left in the half. And Griffith’s 11-yard catch to the 1 set up a Braden Anderson 1-yard TD that stretched the lead to 28-0 with 10:09 left in the third quarter.
“The first couple of games I came out shaky,” Griffin said. “But the coaches still had trust in me, and tonight I finally showed what I can do. I was just thinking about the play too much and let it get to my head. But now it’s out the way.”
Carter wasn’t surprised by Griffin’s productive performance.
“He’s a great kid,” Carter said. “He works hard every day and it was good to see him have that success. We knew he was gonna have a breakout game. I’m glad this was the one. I was really happy with Marquis’s play.”
Defensive linemen Jaiden Miles and Ian McKinney each had tackles for loss for the ‘Toppers. So did Cade Fleeman, Alex Hillman, Kain Rogers and Justus Sutton.
Joshua Santiago returned an interception 19 yards to the Science Hill 34 on the first play of the second quarter and Asher Miller recovered a fumble at the Science Hill 33 with 3:38 left in the half after helping McKinney sack slippery Tanner Atkins.
Jefferson County lost handily to Knox West last week after a 3-0 start comprised of wins against Sevier County, Morristown East and Morristown West.
“We didn’t play well,” fourth-year Patriots head coach Spencer Riley said. “We’ve gotta execute better. We’re a better football team than we’ve played the last two weeks. And for me, that’s what’s concerning. I’ve gotta figure out why.
“And they did a good job. I tip my hat to Stacy and Wes (Jones) and Ralph (Nelson). They all did a good job, man.”
Sophomore Jaxon Diamond completed two passes for 65 yards. One of those was a 60-yarder to speedy sophomore Jeremiah Hise, who gained nearly all 60 after the catch. It set up A.J. Martin’s 3-yard TD run that concluded the scoring with 2:37 remaining.
Jefferson County scored with 6:23 left in the fourth quarter on an Austin Leitch catch in the back of the end zone. The pretty pitch-and-catch was a rarity. Atkins was 8-of-27 for 80 yards and an interception.
It doesn’t get any easier for the Pats, who will take on Anderson County next week.
“The kids have gotta do some soul-searching,” Riley said. “I’m here to work. I’m gonna go out and grind and figure out what we’ve gotta do to be able to stop somebody and score some points and try to win some football games here down the stretch.”
Science Hill’s biggest concern was penalties. It had 13 for 115 yards. The ‘Toppers were whistled for three straight false starts on one field goal attempt, turning a 42-yarder into what would’ve been a 57-yard. Carter opted to punt at that point. There was also a false start on a PAT kick.
“We’ve got a lot to learn,” Carter said. “We made a lot of mistakes.”
But Carter appreciated his players’ energized effort a week after blowing a 21-point lead in a 33-24 home loss to Greeneville.
“It was a hard week last week,” Carter said. “The guys rebounded. The kids probably do better than the coaches when that happens. I’m proud of what they’re doing right now. …
“Of course, we’ve got a lot to learn and a lot of stuff to fix. Hopefully, we can get some momentum from this.”
Science Hill will visit Knox Catholic on Friday.
Notes: Science Hill’s previous passing record in Tipton Stadium was 362 yards. It came against Coffee County in the playoffs in 2015. … Thomas’ status is week to week. In fact, he was a game-time decision. … Science Hill had intended to get Santiago a few touches on offense. Bowman’s fast start might’ve helped hamper that. Santiago had one carry.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL | |
Jefferson County | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
Science Hill | 14 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
SH—Bowman 31 run (Hensley kick)
SH—Griffin 10 pass from Batchelder (Hensley kick)
SH—Griffith 21 pass from Batchelder (Hensley kick)
SH—Anderson 1 run (Hensley kick)
SH—Anderson 2 pass from Batchelder (Hensley kick)
JC—Leitch 15 pass from Atkins (Atkins pass)
SH—Martin 3 run (Hensley kick)
Jefferson County | Science Hill | |
First Downs | 15 | 26 |
Rushing Att-Yards | 30-150 | 24-35 |
Passes Comp-Att-Int | 9-28-1 | 26-35-0 |
Passing Yards | 80 | 363 |
Total Offense | 230 | 398 |
Fumbles-Lost | 1-1 | 2-1 |
Penalties/Yards | 6-43 | 13-115 |
Punts-Average | 7-32.3 | 4-39.0 |