HENDERSONVILLE – Beech finished with 27 unanswered points en route to a 34-7 homecoming victory over visiting Springfield.

Five things to take away from the game:

Both teams find footing early

After both teams went three-and-out on their opening possessions, Beech found the endzone first after a 7-play 54-yard drive that ended with a 7-yard run by Alex Vanzant. Springfield’s only response came on the following drive. Quarterback Dewayne Buckner found wide receiver Dayron Johnson for a 51-yard pass to tie the game at seven at the end of the first quarter.

footballs

Buccaneers get down to business

Beech took control of the game moving forward. The Bucs mounted two scoring drives in the second quarter, both ending in Chris Peach touchdown runs. On defense, Beech forced Springfield to punt on back-to-back drives.

On the final play of the half, Garrett Butler intercepted a Johnson pass to end a late Yellow Jacket drive.

“I think we played pretty good,” Beech head coach Anthony Crabtree said. “We obviously made some mistakes and didn’t play a perfect game. I thought our guys kept digging and fighting and were determined to win the game. We put 34 points on the board and only held them to seven. I think Springfield’s a pretty good football team. They play hard, and physical and they have a good scheme on both sides of the ball. I feel fortunate to come out 34-7.”

Yellow Jackets become own worst enemy

Penalties and turnovers continued to prove costly for Springfield throughout the course of the game. The Yellow Jackets fumbled on back-to-back drives to begin the second half. Several personal foul calls stalled another drive later in the half that set Springfield back and prevented them from an attempt to cut into Beech’s lead.

“When we go back and watch film, the mistakes tonight were so timely, whether it was putting the ball on the ground or the penalties,” Springfield head coach Dustin Wilson said. “As a group we’re still young and learning. Whenever we had a chance to get back in the game we had a timely mistake. I don’t mind a hustle penalty every now and then, but those were just inexcusable. We need to get coached up and we’ll have to correct them if we want to get into the playoffs.”

Peach’s hat trick

On the ground, Beech racked up a total of 275 yards behind the trio of Alex Vanzant, Chaz Williamson, and Chris Peach. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Peach scored his third touchdown on the night with a 32-yard run. “Our O-line just read their keys and listened to what coach said,” Peach said. “All I do is run the ball. I’m pretty sure we gained a good amount of yards tonight but it wasn’t without them up front.”

No harm, no foul for Springfield

In spite of the struggling performance, the loss for Springfield doesn’t impact them in the Region 5-4A standings, as all of their goals in region play remain intact.

The Yellow Jackets will look to right the ship next week as they travel to take on region foe Portland. As for the Bucs, they bounced back from a heartbreaking loss to Cane Ridge last week.

“It left a bad taste in our mouth, that last game,” Peach said. “So we knew coming into this game we didn’t want anything like that to happen again. All we can do is just come together and keep working each week.”

Crabtree added, “We’ve just got to continue to try to stay healthy. We’ve got to continue to get stronger in the weight room and gain more confidence on the field. We’ve got to continue to get better at the fundamentals, and be determined and have the will to win.”

Beech