Bishop England rallies for crucial region win over Manning

Bishop England scored three times in the final two minutes to rally past Manning, 45-36, Friday at Jack Cantey Stadium on Daniel Island. The comeback win keeps Bishop England (6-2, 3-0) undefeated in Region 7-AAA, tied with Timberland (5-3, 3-0). “It was a great testament to our kids’ character and perseverance,” Bishop England coach John Cantey said. “They could’ve easily given up at the end but they kept fighting. Guys stepped up and started making plays. It’s odd really how many things went our way within those last few minutes.” Leo Albano orchestrated the late run with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Bishop England led 13-7 at halftime. Manning came alive with three touchdowns in the third quarter, though, to build a lead as large as 28-13. Albano broke a 36-yard touchdown run to pull the Bishops within one score in the final minute of the third quarter. The senior quarterback then slammed in a 1-yard touchdown three minutes into the fourth quarter that narrowed the gap to 28-26 after a failed two-point conversion attempt. Cam’ron Cain countered for Manning with a 49-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-2 that opened a 36-26 Monarchs lead with 3:30 left to play. Cain finished with 122 yards on the ground, averaging 9.4 per carry. Albano fired back with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Chris Dengler that cut the deficit down to 36-32 with 1:40 remaining. Manning burned just 35 seconds on its ensuing possession before turning the ball over on downs at the Bishops’ 46-yard line. Albano cashed in two plays later with a 44-yard heave on the run to Will Bastian who outleaped cornerback Dejuan Wilson for the go-ahead touchdown with 41 seconds left. It was the first career touchdown for Bastian, a senior. Albano finished with 214 yards and two touchdowns completing 20 of his 29 attempts. He also ran for a game-high 175 yards and three scores. “We were joking that it’s a good thing we have so many baseball players out here,” Cantey said. “Chris, Leo and Will are all baseball guys that are out here making big plays for us. “Will is a guy we always felt could make plays for us. Luckily he was in there when we needed it. And that was a pretty impressive throw by Leo, rolling right and throwing it left-handed 50 yards on the mark.” The Bishops defense sealed the win in the waning seconds as lineman Jaylen Stoney-Patterson stripped quarterback Jack Owens and Danny Hollister recovered the loose ball in the end zone. Bishop England and Timberland will square off in a season finale, region championship game Friday in St. Stephens. The Bishops are 1-13 all-time against the Wolves, outscored 88-22 the past three years. “We have good momentum rolling with us right now,” Cantey said. “Timberland is always so tough, fast and physical. I think we’re prepared for that now. We’re prepared to battle in a really tough, high stakes game. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

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Bishop England High School Athletics

BISHOP ENGLAND RALLIES FOR CRUCIAL REGION WIN OVER MANNING

FRANKIE MANSFIELD

Moultrie News | 10/23/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Moultrie News