Bouton, Defense Shine As Gaffney Downs Boiling Springs

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>GAFFNEY | </strong>A week off allowed Gaffney to work on a few things.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That might be bad news for Region II-5A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Indians bounced back from a 1-2 non-region start with a dominant performance against Boiling Springs, taking a 34-7 win. Along the way, they quieted some whispers about their offensive performance by rolling up 406 total yards and completely shut the Bulldogs down defensively, showing by far their most complete performance of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"We prepared pretty good, and the bye week helped us a whole lot," Gaffney LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1394986' first='Zyon' last='Ratchford']</strong> said. "We needed it, and it paid off for us."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ratchford and his teammates played an attacking, swarming defensive game that frustrated Boiling Springs throughout the night. The Bulldogs managed just 49 yards on the ground on 20 carries. They had just 107 total yards, and averaged 2.5 yards per play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were plenty of reasons why for Gaffney. Ratchford was a monster, blowing up screen plays as soon as they happened, making three tackles, and snagging an interception. That was just one of four takeaways for Gaffney, as <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='873100' first='Zion' last='Dawkins']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1790739' first='Ty' last='McGill']</strong>, and <strong>Adryean Monroe</strong> all had picks. Monroe's was a diving grab at the Gaffney 3 that turned away Boiling Springs' best scoring chance at the time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the other side of the ball, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1403906' first='Banks' last='Bouton']</strong> (pictured) was busy making the most of his first complete game at QB for Gaffney. He accounted for 298 yards of total offense, but the way he did it is what was impressive. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1295076' first='Josiah' last='Hill']</strong> rushed for a pair of touchdowns and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1732619' first='Justin' last='Dawkins']</strong> added some tough yardage on the ground for the Indians, loosening up Boiling Springs' defense and allowing Bouton to spread the ball around. He had no trouble doing that, tossing completions to eight different receivers. That included a 57-yard strike to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1790670' first='Brady' last='Smith']</strong>, who led the way with five catches for 105 yards, and a 21-yard TD to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1716270' first='Hank' last='Davidson']</strong> midway through the fourth quarter that pushed the score to 34-0.<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1790668' first='Isaiah' last='Ellis']</strong> also had a crucial reception with a 61-yard grab that flipped the field after Monroe's interception and helped set up Davidson's score. Bouton also ran for an early touchdown that staked the Indians to a 13-0 halftime lead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I feel like the offense was inconsistent, but the defense forcing four turnovers really helps us," Bouton said. "It's nice to be able to lean on those guys when we're inconsistent."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819429' first='Imri' last='Logan']</strong> came on at quarterback for the Bulldogs in the second half, and helped put together a couple of good drives, rushing for a 17-yard touchdown to get the Bulldogs on the scoreboard. He also led the team in rushing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensively, the Bulldogs played well, particularly in the first half.<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1592395' first='TJ' last='Collins']</strong> had six total tackles, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819842' first='Tyvion' last='Hall'] </strong>made the first three tackles of the game for Boiling Springs, and four of the first six. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592404' first='Cohen' last='Chalk']</strong> made several big plays for the Bulldogs, and <strong>Tamijay Brown</strong> stopped a Gaffney scoring threat with an incredible interception, high-pointing a ball in the end zone and snatching it away from an Indians receiver.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->