GAFFNEY – Knowing its postseason hopes are put on hold until fall 2021, the Blythewood football team traveled to Region 3-5A champion Gaffney Friday night and hung tough against the upstate power.
The Bengals couldn’t stop the running of backup running back Ken Littlejohn, who powered the Indians’ 24-18 victory at The Reservation with 135 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
Angelo Donato followed up on his 182 passing yards and three-touchdown performance in last week’s 30-15 win over Rock Hill with 190 passing yards and two touchdowns. He completed 20 of 41 passes with one interception.
Noble Cooper had six catches for 86 yards for Blythewood (3-3, 2-3 Region 5-5A). Chanceler Robertson had three catches and a 25-yard TD reception for 41 yards. Josh Burrell caught three passes for 30.
Boatwright had a rushing and receiving touchdown in addition to his 37 yards on 10 carries.
Gaffney (5-0, 3-0 Region 3-5A) got on the scoreboard first with Littlejohn’s 8-yard TD run and quarterback Undre Lindsey’s 14-yard touchdown pass to Natron Johnson in the first quarter.
Donato found Robertson for a score in the last minute of the first to cut the Indians’ lead to 14-6.
Donato hooked up with Boatwright for another TD midway through the second quarter, but the game-tying 2-point conversion attempt failed.
Three minutes later Edward Jefferies ran the ball in from five yards out to put Gaffney up 21-12, a lead the Indians took into the locker room at halftime.
T.J. Hames hit a 22-yard field goal at the 6:43 mark of the third to have Gaffney up 21-12.
Blythewood used up most of the fourth quarter on a 20-play, 91-yard drive capped with Boatwright’s 5-yarder into the end zone, but when the 2-point conversion play failed, only 1:36 remained.
The Indians ran out the clock and sealed the win.
Gaffney faces Byrnes Friday in the 5A state playoffs.
Blythewood – 6-6-0-6 – 18
Gaffney – 14-7-3-0 – 24
First Quarter
G – Ken Littlejohn 8 run (T.J. Hames kick) 9:53
G – Johnson 14 pass from Undre Lindsey (Hames kick) 8:16
B – Chanceler Robertson 25 pass from Angelo Donato (kick failed) :50
Second Quarter
B – Desmond Boatwright 16 pass from Donato (run failed) 5:27
G – Edward Jefferies 5 run (Hames kick) 1:45
Third Quarter
G – Hames 22 field goal 6:43
Fourth Quarter
B – Boatwright 5 run (pass failed) 1:36
BHS Gaffney
First Downs 18 15
Rushes-Yards 34-81 31-131
Passing Yards 199 83
Att-Com-Int 42-20-1 14-10-0
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-0
Penalties-Yards 11-105 9-79
Punts-Avg. 4-30.0 5-32.0
RUSHING: Blythewood – Desmond Boatwright 10-37, Angelo Donato 10-33. Gaffney – Ken Littlejohn 14-135, Corbett Tate-Smith 3-3.
PASSING: Blythewood – Angelo Donato 20-42-1. Gaffney – Undre Lindsey 10-14-0.
RECEIVING: Blythewood – Noble Cooper 6-86, Chanceler Robertson 3-41, Josh Burrell 3-30, Desmond Boatwright 1-16. Gaffney – Kobe Paysour 2-30, Natron Johnson 2-34, Brad Logan 2-10, Marcus Dewberry 3-13.