Rock Hill football set for biggest challenge of season in rival Northwestern
The Rock Hill Bearcats are 5-3 so far under first-year coach Leon Boulware.
After struggling to maintain .500 records during the past few seasons, Boulware said coming in that he wanted his team to be intentional with the little things that lead to a program’s success.
“We’ve slowly been progressing this year,” Boulware said. “I think more than anything, our kids truly understand and execute what we as coaches are asking of them. We set the expectations and standards, and they are living up to them. It’s clicking better than ever at the right time of the year.”
The Bearcats are led by sophomore quarterback Jonah Young.
Young said while he may not be as vocal as some of the other leaders on the team, he tries to lead by example.
“As the quarterback, it’s my job to make sure the guys are doing the right thing,” Young said. “I think the best way to do that is just by doing the right things myself. If I’m doing the right things, then hopefully the other guys will too.”
The quarterback gives credit to the team’s mentality of keeping negative energy out of the locker room.
“All of the guys are just trying to stay positive,” Young said. “It is easy to hear negative things from outside the locker room, but if you start listening to that stuff, that is when you start to lose games and ultimately lose confidence. All of our coaches see our potential and want us to succeed.”
Through eight games, Young has 1158 yards passing and 10 touchdowns. He described himself as a pocket passer and given he has just five carries on the season, his description fits. But, he has excelled in his role this season and Boulware said it’s great having a leader like Young.
“He is very loyal to our program,” Boulware said of Young. “He has been in the locker room but last year he had two seniors in front of him, but he stuck it out. That tells you a lot about his character. His leadership has grown throughout the year and now he is really commanding the offense.”
This week, the Bearcats face the Northwestern Trojans (7-1) and both Boulware and Young said the approach is the same this week as it always is; focus on themselves.
“First thing is first, we have to focus on us and what we do well,” Young said. “Athletically, we are very athletic so I think we can outdo (Northwestern) there. The O-line has to be solid and keep the protection high. If we can execute our game plan we will be fine.”
Boulware has familiarity with the Trojans that may help give his team an advantage.
“I actually spent last year over there at Northwestern on Page Wofford’s staff,” Boulware said of the defending state champs. “I understand his standards and what they do over there from a preparation standpoint. We are going to have to come out with our best, there is no question about that. They are very good and Page and his staff do a great job with those guys. We have to be clear with our communication and execute well. At the same time, we can’t let the emotions get too high. We have to play the football we have been all year and let things fall the way they will.”
Top games in the Rock Hill area
Catawba Ridge (4-3) at Nation Ford (3-4), 7:30 p.m. Friday: Both the Copperheads and the Falcons are coming off losses last week. Catawba Ridge fell, 34-7, to Indian Land and Nation Ford fell, 30-14, to Rock Hill. The Falcons are still looking for the first win in region play this season while the Copperheads are in fourth in Region 3 behind Rock Hill, Indian Land and Northwestern. Catawba Ridge has a stingy defense led by Joshua Dobson. He will have his hands full with Nation Ford receiver Jayden Scott, who has 838 yards receiving this season with six total touchdowns.
Indian Land (7-0) vs. Clover (4-3), 7:30 p.m. Friday: The Indian Land Warriors keep winning and in dominant fashion. While Clover has dropped three games, all but one has been close — one-point losses against Chambers out of Charlotte and Rock Hill. Both of these losses ironically enough had the same score, 35-34, in favor of the opposition. If Clover is able to limit explosive plays from the Warriors’ offense — which has yet to score under 30 points — and keep this game close in the fourth quarter, the Blue Eagles have experience in close games to fall back on.
Andrew Jackson (4-3) vs. Central (6-0), 7:30 p.m. Friday: After a rollercoaster of a non-conference, Andrew Jackson is 2-0 in 2A Region 4 play and will welcome unbeaten Central, which is also 2-0 in region play. The Volunteers have a double-edged sword at the running back position with both Jvon Kelly and Damias Seegars averaging more than 50 rushing yards per game. The two account for 11 total touchdowns, Seegers with seven and Kelly with four. Central will pose a big challenge behind Jakari Holloman, who averages close to 60 rushing yards per game and leads the team in tackles per game with 6.8 per contest.