What We Saw: Brookland-Cayce 47, Aiken 12

CAYCE | A healthy quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='860400' first='Drevon' last='Dopson'] (number 1 pictured) is proving to be just what the doctor ordered for Brookland-Cayce's offense.   The Gray Collegiate transfer accounted for six touchdowns – four passing, two rushing – and 255 total yards in the Bearcats' 47-12 win over Aiken on Monday.   Such a performance is what head coach Reed Charpia had expected from Dopson. At the same time, he believes the junior is still working to get back to the high level of physical play he exhibited before getting stricken during the summer with an illness.   “He looked so good in winter workouts,” he said. “He was 195-something pounds and was spinning it. We were extremely excited. In the spring practice and spring games, he looked so good.   “And then, you saw that something wasn't right. He went from about 195 to 170 and he wasn't feeling good. So then he had emergency surgery to remove his colon the first or second week in July. So, most people shouldn't be playing. But, about three weeks ago, he came back and we slowly worked him in. He told this week ‘ Coach, I'm ready to run the ball'.”   Despite a nearly three-week hiatus due to postponements by opponents recovering from the damage inflicted by Hurricane Helene, the Bearcats jumped out early on the Hornets. Dopson's first pass of the game was a screen to wide receiver David Daniels who after breaking loose from the initial tackle sprinted into the secondary and into the endzone for a 64-yard touchdown.   Following a 6-yard touchdown run by Jimmy Thompson after Brookland-Cayce recovered an onside kick, the Bearcats got a fourth-down stop on a sack by Davion McGill Boykin. On Brookland-Cayce's next possession, Dopson again found Daniels this time downfield as he stiff-armed away from one Aiken defender enroute to a 53-yard touchdown.   An interception by Tyree Johnson set up arguably Dopson's best touchdown pass of the evening. Dropping back from the Aiken 24, he threaded a pass between two Aiken cornerbacks to a leaping Jvonn Edwards to make it 27-0 in the second quarter.   Brookland-Cayce's defense set up another Dopson's fourth touchdown. Quarterback Tanner Padgett could not retrieve an errant snap that was recovered by Shaylen Blanding at the Aiken 9.   On third and goal, Dopson found an open Deandre Jones for a 6-yard touchdown to make it 33-0.   Just before halftime, defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='1615051' first='Jabari' last='Corbett'] sacked Padgett on fourth down to get the Bearcats the ball back at the Aiken 25 with 45 seconds left. It was the second sack on the series for the freshman whom Charpia believes has a big upside.   “He goes hard, he has a good attitude,” he said. “I think he can be a Division I player if he gets his grades.”   Dopson called his own number with two 13-yard runs, the latter leading to a rushing touchdown to put Brookland-Cayce up 40-0.   The second half started with the offense capitalizing off another Aiken turnover. Edwards' interception return of 25 yards led to a 7-play; 54-yard scoring drive capped by Dopson's 3-yard touchdown.   “It was the game plan,” Dopson said. “Players doing what they were supposed to do and the line blocking good.”   Down 47-0 in the fourth quarter, Aiken turned a potential special teams mistake into a scoring opportunity. Punter Luke Groseclose mishandled the snap but managed to recover the football.   As Groseclose raced towards the sidelines at the Aiken 37, he threw a desperation pass that was tipped and caught in a crowd by tight end [player_tooltip player_id='1274484' first='Zion' last='Lewie']. He managed to run forward to the Brookland-Cayce 36 for an improbable first down.     Bursting through a hole created by a well-sized offensive line led in size by 300-pound Christian Johnson and 6-foot, 285-pound Jamari Holmes, running back Jamarey Bonaparte scored from 31 yards.   He added a 2-yard touchdown reception after a Thompson fumble to close out the scoring.   The revamped region schedules has both teams playing as many as four games over the two next weeks. Dopson has the remedy for how the Bearcats will handle its remaining slate, starting Friday at home with Gilbert.   “Get back to the lab, get back in the weight room and he's ready to “get back in the lab, get back in the weight room, practice yard and get ready for the next competition,” he said.

CAYCE | A healthy quarterback Drevon Dopson Drevon Dopson 6'2" | 180 lbs | QB Irmo | 2026 State SC (number 1 pictured) is proving to be just what the doctor ordered for Brookland-Cayce's offense.