What We Saw: Rogers Leads Dorman Past Boiling Springs
The status of Dorman’s offense was a big question going into Week 1 after a lackluster Week 0 showing against Clover. Turns out the Cavaliers are alive and well. Dorman racked up 20 first-quarter points, churned out 376 yards of…
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Continue ReadingThe status of Dorman’s offense was a big question going into Week 1 after a lackluster Week 0 showing against Clover.
Turns out the Cavaliers are alive and well.
Dorman racked up 20 first-quarter points, churned out 376 yards of offense, and took a 33-0 victory over Boiling Springs on Friday.
In addition to providing the Cavaliers a renewed offensive spark, the game was a coming out party for Tyson Rogers.
Rogers had limited touches against the Bulldogs, but to say he made the most of his chances would be an all-time understatement. Rogers had 3 catches for 74 yards and three touchdowns, earning Player of the Game honors from the Cavaliers’ radio broadcast and a ton of praise from coach Dave Gutshall.
“That was big,” Gutshall said. “I’ve got Kendall Norman and DJ Porter already out there. Tyson was hurt all year last year, and I’m not sure he played in a ballgame for us. He played some as a sophomore and caught a big touchdown against Spartanburg. But we couldn’t get him healthy last year. If he’ll come up and make the kind of contributions that he did for us tonight, it’s just a matter of time until the other two guys blow up. That gives us three big-time weapons, we’ve just got to find a way to get the ball to them.”
The Cavaliers tried multiple ways to get the ball to Rogers and the receiving corps. Dorman played three quarterbacks, with all three having a measure of success. Hudson Talley started, finishing 6-for-10 for 102 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Chamarryus Bomar was 1-for-3 for 5 yards and a score, while Xion Kilbourn had two completions for 17 yards and a touchdown.
Dorman also ran the ball well against the Bulldogs, with 249 yards on the ground. Demarius Foster led the way with 85 yards on 7 carries. Bomar provided a spark with 58 yards, including 35 on his first carry of the game, and Kilbourn carried twice for 23 yards, including a 19-yarder in a hurry situation near the end of the first half that led to a field goal. Will Black provided some punch in the Cavaliers’ regular set as well as the short-yardage GATA package, rushing for 48 yards on 8 carries.
It was Rogers, though, who stole the show. His first touchdown from Talley was a two-footed tightrope catch in the front corner of the end zone, while his second was a 51-yard thriller, seeing him reverse field from the home sideline all the way across the field, diving into the end zone. His third was a bullet from Kilbourn that closed out the third quarter.
” I could see the daylight, and knew the blockers were there,” Rogers said of his second score. “I had to make it happen.”
Rogers said the Cavaliers were committed to showing last week’s offensive performance isn’t what the team expects.
“We put in more effort in practice,” he said. “We got tired of everybody talking. It feels great. My teammates gave me the opportunity to make some plays, and I had to make them. I owed it to them.”
• Dorman locked down on defense as well, running a shutout streak over Boiling Springs to 12 full quarters. Javin Bradley was everywhere for the Cavaliers, with 8 total tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, and a pass break-up. Bo Roseborough added 6 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a force fumble. Hudson Lee Hudson Lee 6'5" | 250 lbs | DL Dorman | 2022 State SC set the tone for Dorman, finishing with 6 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 3 tackles for loss. The bulk of Lee’s stats came on the Bulldogs’ first drive. In Boiling Springs’ first six plays, Lee recorded 3 tackles, half a sack, and 1.5 tackles for loss, completely overmatching Boiling Springs’ offensive line.
• There were some bright spots for the Bulldogs, who were playing their first game under the lights on Friday. Boiling Springs had one scrimmage, but had a jamboree rained out and saw Covid concerns with opponents scuttle some other preseason action. With virtually no game-type action under their belts, they had to fix things on the fly against Dorman.
Brent Fowler was impressive for the Bulldogs in his first start at middle linebacker. He finished with 7 tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, and an interception.
“To start, he was an H-back that played some on defense,” Boiling Springs coach Rick Tate said. “He’s been getting so much better, that he’s earned a spot. We were so thin on defense tonight that we couldn’t use him on offense, but he really showed up big on that side of the ball.”