Four Blessed Sacrament Huguenot seniors stood along the sidelines at Barham-Sowers field last Friday night contemplating the possibility, some said the probability, that this would be their last football game, ever. Across the field from J.T. Colvin, Ben Ottley, Jared Sebia and Matt Smith, the 7-3 Southampton Academy Raiders stood poised to end the Knights’ season and their hopes for another state championship. A win by the favored Raiders would advance them into the playoffs and the Knights would be done. Smith was suited up after a six-week lay-off, but would he play? If he did, would he be the highlight runner who had propelled BSH to three season opening victories? It took less than one quarter of football for Matt Smith and all of his teammates to resoundingly resolve all of these issues.

Sebia ran the opening kickoff out to the 35-yard line. Matt Smith joined the Knights’ huddle. Austin Wingfield took the first snap and stuffed it in Smith’s stomach. Smith found Colvin and Ottley, followed behind them, took two hits and fell forward for a nine-yard gain. Smith carried for four more and a Knights’ first down. Sebia plowed for four. Sophomore Chris Howard, who had effectively replaced Smith during his injury time, went up the gut for three more. Smith broke behind Colvin and Ottley for a 15-yard gain and then went to the opposite side for eight more. Sebia picked up the first down at the Raiders’ 20. The 145-pound Howard took Wingfield’s handoff and cut into the center of the Southampton line. Glen Newlin and Ottley blew open a gaping hole and Howard streaked into the end zone.

Southampton’s William Doyle brought Thomas Young’s kick-off out to the 22 and the Raiders set up in their bunched backfield with tight line spacing. Doyle’s first option was to fleet running back Paul Edwards. Edwards took the short pitch but never got turned upfield. Newlin and Ottley blew up the play in the Raider’s backfield, separated Edwards from the ball and the Knights recovered at the Raider’s eight. Smith went off the left side for seven and was rewarded for his efforts with the touchdown carry on the next play. Young’s kick was good and BSH lead 14-0 with 7:02 left in the first quarter.

Young’s kick-off gave Southampton good field position at their 32. Robert Marks went off his right side for nine before Matt Wyman collared him. Marks picked up the first down on a plunge to the 44. He carried again and danced and powered his way through the middle of the BSH defense for a big gain to the Knights 22. A holding call negated this momentum builder. As it was, Will Hastings got 13 of it back on a slick reverse and Doyle decided to go for the home run. His third and seven pass was picked off at the 30-yard line by Kendall Trainum, his eighth of the year, and returned to the Raider’s 35. Jared Sebia gobbled up the entire 35 yards on a counter play, totally unmolested. Young’s effort was good and with 4:45 still left in the first quarter, the Knights had dominated at 21-0.

“We made a commitment two weeks ago to go back to who we are,” said head coach Mike Henderson. “We are a power football team. A cram-it-down-your-throat football team. We are committed to getting behind our great offensive line and running the ball, whether we win or lose we’ll live with it.”

Southampton tried Marks wide again for little gain and a hobbled John Moore still managed to break up a second down pass.Russ Leboff ended the series with a sack. Starting at the Southampton, 41 BSH took a holding call and Howard could only get three of it back. On second and 17 Howard set up in the wing position and came in motion back to the center of the formation, as he had on his long touchdown run. Wingfield stuck the ball in his gut and Chris plunged into the line, without the ball. Wingfield rose up and lofted a soft pass to Leboff at the Raider’s 30-yard-line. Leboff reached over the defender, snatched the ball, turned and cruised the final 30 yards untouched. Wingfield threw only two passes the entire game; both to Leboff, both for touch-downs. Young was again true. BSH 28, Southampton 0. Time left? 1.56 in the first quarter.

It would have been too much to ask any team to come back from such an early pounding, but the Raiders did put together a scoring drive on their next possession. Despite four tackles by Ottley and two by Howard, the Raiders used four big runs by Hastings to set up a first and goal at the five. Doyle’s keeper and the point after gave the Raider’s their first seven points.

BSH answered with their most sustained drive of the game. Sebia set it up with a jarring kickoff return to the Raider’s 48. Smith carried the ball five times on inside-the-tackles power runs and Howard tested the middle twice. Sebia carried once and Wingfield converted a fourth and inches with a four-yard sneak.Wingfield threw his second TD pass after a beautiful dive fake at the nine yard line. Leboff filtered to the center of the field and easily got open at the goal line. Kick good, 35-7 Knights with 4:40 left in the first half.

Howard and Ottley played havoc with the Southampton offense on their next possession and Newlin put an end to it when he stuffed Doyle’s fourth and one sprint out.

From the Raiders’ 45, Smith scampered to the 23. Sebia took the first down hand off and bounced outside left. He patiently waited for Connor Paul to set up a perfect screen block, cut behind it and never felt a finger on his way to the end zone. Young good; 42-7 Knights.

On the Knights first series of the second half, coach Henderson began to remove his starters one by one so the crowd could recognize them. The second unit did manage to move the ball for two first downs, primarily on the power running of 144-pound freshman Gavin Paul (9 carries for 46 yards) but Southampton stopped him on a fourth and seven.

It took the Raiders 11 plays and almost a quarter to drive down field against the second unit. Neal Bass, Seth Baldwin and Ryan Bendele got their licks in before Doyle fooled them on a counter and went 15 yards for the score.

Bendele and Gavin Paul ran behind some great blocking by Chris Sill to advance as deep as the Raider’s five; a penalty negated a huge Paul run, and to the 18 on a quarterback sneak by Brandon Holt. Coach Henderson elected to run the clock out from there.

Coach Henderson gave a rare game ball to Matt Smith (12 carries for 102 yards) with the suggestion he cut it up in pieces for his lineman and fullback.

He then challenged his team to “face the major, major challenge of the play-offs. Make a two week commitment to be what you are and who you are.”