When the Georgia High School Association approved Joshua Washington's transfer from Savannah Country Day to Benedictine, allowing the junior receiver to join the Cadets without missing a season, the Cadet offense gained another talented playmaker.
Washington, who received a college offer from Georgia Southern before he ever played a high school down, was set to be reunited with Stephen Cannon, BC's junior quarterback who played with Washington during their middle school days at Savannah Country Day. But in the first two games of the season, Washington wasn't much of a factor in the offense with just three catches for 33 yards.
On Friday night, however, Washington and Cannon found that familiar connection as the duo excelled in a 43-14 non-region win over Burke County at Memorial Stadium.
Washington had the best performance of his prep career as he reeled in six passes for 140 yards, with scoring catches of 31 and 43 yards from Cannon, in just his third game as the Cadet starter. Cannon was 16 of 24 for 330 yards with three touchdown passes.
The first touchdown came in the final seconds of the first quarter as Cannon found his friend in the left flat, and Washington slipped a tackled before sprinting 31 yards in to score. On the second touchdown, Cannon bided his time in the pocket, waiting for Washington to break free on a post pattern as he hit him in stride for a 43-yard score.
"We started playing together in the seventh grade, and Stephen knows if he gets into trouble, he can find me, or all of our receivers ― we'll be there to make a play," said Washington, who is headed to Statesboro Saturday to see Georgia Southern against Boise State. "In the first two weeks, I didn't do too much. But Coach (offensive coordinator A.J.) DeFilippis told me to keep working and being a team player and my time would come, and it came tonight."
Benedictine's Micah Williams, a standout defensive back with offers from Georgia Tech and North Carolina, showed he can play a little offense too. He had two touches on the night ― catching a 38-yard scoring pass from Cannon on another pass in the flat where he made a man miss en route to the end zone, and taking a reverse 50 yards around the right end to set up a 4-yard scoring run by Bubba Frazier in the first quarter.
Senior kicker Connor Ferguson connected on a career best 50-yard field goal and added a chip in from 23 yards, while converting all four of his PAT attempts.
It was the first win of the season for the Cadets (1-2) who lost to Rabun Gap 41-17 in its opener in the Erk Russell Classic at Georgia Southern, before giving top-ranked Buford all it could handle on the road in a 29-28 setback last week.
"I'm really proud of the way the guys played tonight," BC Coach Danny Britt said. "We played so tough last week, and to come back and do the things we did in so many different aspects of the game tonight was really impressive."
Junior Sean Vandiver was 18 of 33 passing for 243 yards with a scoring pass to Darius Jordan and ran for 53 yards on 12 carries for Burke County (2-1). Senior running back A'merre Williams ran for 95 yards and a score on 13 carries and caught five passes for 63 yards. The Bears ran for 196 yards and had 439 yards of total offense, but didn't score again after Williams' 15-yard scoring run with 7:43 left in the first half.
BC's defense came up with some big plays led by sophom*ore linebacker Larson Little, who had several tackles for losses, including one for a safety. Third Scroggins, Kam Cody, John Lilly and Bennett Conaway had sacks and Frazier, who also had five catches for 81 yards, picked off a Hail Mary pass to end the first half.
Sophom*ore defensive back Eron Mallard had a highlight-reel worthy play in the finals minutes of the game when he picked off Sean Vandiver three yards deep in the BC end zone and took off to the races down the right sideline with an impressive burst of speed leaving would be tacklers in his wake. His 103-yard pick six could be a school record.
BC is off for the next two weeks, after cancelling its game in Ohio against Archbishop Moeller that was set for Sept. 14. The Cadets will host Westminster on Sept. 20.
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter:@DennisKnightSMN
