SAVANNAH, GA - At the beginning of the year, Bethesda Academy’s Assir Best and his teammates knew it was going to be a process.
“We were developing and trying to figure each other out,” said the senior, who transferred from Memorial, where he ran for 954 yards and scored nine touchdowns last season. “It was hard for me to come to a new school, and it is always going to be rough with new players.
“But we all come together and we realized the same goal of winning a state championship. We know that Bethesda deserves another state championship.”
Best did his part last night to get the Blazer back on the path toward their second consecutive championship when he ran for 89 yards and scored three touchdowns in Bethesda’s 40-15 blowout win over St. John Christian Academy at Daffin Park.
With the win, the Blazers (7-3) clinched the second spot in the SCISA Region 1 and they will host an opening-round state playoff game next Friday. Their likely opponent could be Orangeburg Prep, but it is still not official.
Bethesda will host their inaugural game at Blazer Field next week.
Midway through the first quarter, Bethesda struck first and quickly gained control of the game with a seven-play, 79-yard drive capped when Jordan Cheever plowed his way over from a yard out, and he then scored on a two-point conversion that gave the Blazers an 8-0 advantage. Cheever set up the drive with an interception that halted a St. John drive inside the Bethesda 30.
Bethesda was given a gift on the next St. John drive that began with a high snap over quarterback Jacob Glover’s head back to the Cavaliers’ two-yard line. St. John couldn’t move the ball from there, and they curiously went for it on a fourth down and failed.
On the next play, Best bolted over from the two-yard line and the dashed over for the two-point conversion for a 16-0 bulge.
The Cavaliers (4-6) attempted a fake punt on their next possession, and they failed to convert the first down.
Bethesda again took advantage, as the Blazers marched 64 yards on eight plays, getting into the end zone on quarterback Jordan Turner’s 16-yard scamper. Cheever scored on the two-point conversion and the rout appeared on with a 24-0 lead.
The Blazers took a 32-0 lead into their locker room at halftime, as St. John Christian managed 62 yards of offense through the first two quarters.
The Cavaliers finished with 151 yards of offense – a big chunk against a second-team defense -- and Dor Reichley, who entered the game with 1,398 yards and 16 touchdowns, was held to 88 yards.
Along with Cheever, Jaylen Holmes and Joshua Johnson had interceptions for the Blazers.
Best’s 34-yard touchdown gallop on the Blazers’ opening possession of the second half sealed the victory with a running clock 40-0 cushion, as gave their starters the rest of the evening off.
Bethesda head coach Antwain Turner has seen plenty of growth in his club that began the year 0-2 before a six-game winning streak. The Blazers dropped a hard-fought 25-22 decision to Pee Dee Academy last week.
“I think we have grown up a little bit,” noted Turner. “Earlier, we were trying to find our identity with a few new additions. We had to understand our spacing and our philosophy, as well as how to do things as a team.
“I think we’re starting to understand at the right time. I think we’re coming together and playing better ball.”
Turner used last week’s loss as an advantage.
“We played with a chip on our shoulder from last week,” he added. “For us, we understood what this game meant. We didn’t want to play around and get the job done.
“Defensively, we build a wall. We just believe in holding the wall and everybody doing their job. We’re playing good football as a unit and as a team. We’re covering each other’s tracks and erasing each other’s failures. We can bend, and not break.
“I thought our defense did a good job, and we really shut them down.”
Turner also had plenty of praise for Best, who has 742 yards with 15 touchdowns on the season. He is a physical kid defensively. He also is a playmaker, and we believe he can reach another level.”
“He plays with passion,” said Turner. “He has really come along from week one, and he is a very coachable kid.
Cheever, who ran for 30 yards and had six tackles, saw a team effort, and another championship run in the team’s sights.
“It was a great win, and everybody did their part,” said the junior. “Our linemen are getting the job done, and we really wanted to shut down them.
“We grew as a team and bonded. We can start to smell a championship ahead.”
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Bethesda Academy 40, St. John Christian 15 |
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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| St. John Christian | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 15 |
| Bethesda Academy | 16 | 16 | 8 | 0 | 40 |
| First Quarter | |||||
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B- Jordan Cheever 1 run (Cheever run) |
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| B – Assir Best 2 run (Best run) | |||||
| Second Quarter | |||||
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B- Jordan Turner 16 run (Cheever run) |
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B- Best 7 run (Raleigh Wesley pass from Turner) |
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| Third Quarter | |||||
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B- Best 34 run (Jeffrey Armstrong run) |
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| Fourth Quarter | |||||
| SJ- Dor Reichley 1 run (17 run) | |||||
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SJ- Thomas Hester 23 pass from Jacob Glover (Hester kick) |
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Records—Bethesda Academy 7-3, 4-1 SCISA 2A Region 1; St. John Christian 4-6, 3-2 region. |
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WEEK 12
Final Scores
Oct. 31, Thursday
Benedictine 44, New Hampstead 22
Nov. 1
Colquitt Co 31, Richmond Hill 13 *
Evans 35, Bradwell 31*
Effingham County 28, Statesboro 6*
Brunswick 57, South Effingham 20*
SE Bulloch 44, Beach 19 *
Calvary Day 42, Liberty County 7*
Windsor Forest 43, Groves 38 *
Long County 55, Islands 0 *
Jenkins 50, Johnson 0 *
Savannah Christian 14, Toombs County 7*
Savannah Country Day 31, Vidalia 14 *
Metter 21, Bryan County 8*
Jenkins County 48, Savannah High 0*
Bethesda 40, St. John's 15*
Providence Athletic 44, Coastal HomeSchool 6*
*Region Game
Photo Credit: Courtesy RDP Productions - Kyunnie Shuman
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