What We Saw: Batesburg-Leesville 28, Saluda 7

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>SALUDA |</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267286' first='Amadre' last='Wooden']</strong> raised his eyebrows a little bit when he heard about it. Batesburg-Leesville coach Greg Lawson sort of shrugged it off.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But make no mistakes about it. The 18-play, 80-yard drive in the second quarter Friday night in a showdown of the top two ranked teams in Class AA spoke volumes. The drive took over nine minutes off the clock and helped propel the Panthers to a resounding 28-7 victory over Saluda.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“That was big right before the half. We needed the momentum after we turned over the ball a couple of times before that. It felt good. We were all happy going into the locker room at halftime,” Wooden said. “This means a lot because we haven't done this in a long time with a good winning streak.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While that drive before the half gave Batesburg-Leesville a 14-0 lead, the statement by the defense was just as loud. Led by senior linebackers <strong>Gabe Johnson</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1472383' first='Christian' last='Burkett']</strong>, the Panthers limited the Tigers to just 184 total yards and 59 yards rushing. A lot of those yards came late in the fourth quarter. In the first half alone, Saluda had 63 yards of total offense and 47 of those yards came on one play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Saluda was not our mission. They were just in our way. We want to win a ring.” Johnson said.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wooden, quarterback <strong>Tanner Watkins</strong> and receivers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1574124' first='Jamerius' last='Clark']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592414' first='KD' last='Whitt']</strong> garnered the headlines on offense. Wooden scored on a 1-yard run on the opening drive of the game. The junior ended up with 175 yards on 31 carries and two total touchdowns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Watkins rallied from an early interception to 13-of-18 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns to Whitt. Those four playmakers were their most impressive on the drive before the half. Watkins connected four times with Clark on third down conversions and found Whitt open for a 10-yard touchdown on another third down play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Batesburg-Leesville converted five third downs and a fourth down conversion on that drive. The offensive line of <strong>Matthew Howard</strong>, <strong>Moises Gonzales</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1615063' first='Preston' last='Smith']</strong>, <strong>Kaleb McKeiver</strong> and <strong>Ty Anderson</strong> were dominant on the way to over 400 yards of total offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“You have to trust in your kids,” Lawson said. “I was very proud of the way Watkins played. I was very proud of the way our receivers played, running backs and offensive line.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Any thoughts Saluda had of making it a game in the second half were gone quickly. <strong>Drew Centella</strong> recovered an onside kick to open the second half and five plays later Watkins connected with Whitt on a 33-yard seam route for the score.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After that, it was up to the Panthers defense. <strong>John Sawyer</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592434' first='Tyler' last='Wootton']</strong>, <strong>Clarence Springs</strong> and <strong>Amare Odom</strong> were more than up to the challenge.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Defensively, we were pretty darn good. It was a team effort,” Lawson said.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saluda scored on a 13-yard pass from <strong>Drew Arant</strong> to <strong>Victavis Gaines</strong> with 4:25 remaining. Arant had the best offensive night for the Tigers, completing 9-of-15 passes for 125 yards and the score. Whitt and Springs did have interceptions, and the Batesburg-Leesville defense also recovered a fumble.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saluda defensive linemen <strong>JT Lott</strong>, <strong>Amir Johnson</strong> and <strong>Jaxon Berry</strong> showed flashes but eventually were worn down. Batesburg-Leesville had possession for nearly 34 minutes to just 14 minutes for the Tigers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->