Johnson era begins with big win

BENNETTSVILLE—The Marlboro County Bulldogs kicked off football season with a blowout win on the road against the Lake Marion Gators.

The Class AAA Region 5 Bulldogs scored 51 points, making key plays on offense, defense, and special teams.

“We got to hit somebody else, besides ourselves,” said first-year MCHS head coach Cory Johnson. “It felt good to be back under the lights and the kids did a great job of executing on all three levels of the game.”

And the score showed that the Bulldogs won 51-6 over the Gators. Johnson said on offense, junior Tremayne Ashford was a standout last Friday night.

“He did a good job of stretching the field playing tailback and also playing receiver. Josiah Robinson had 13 carries and 129 yards and three touchdowns so he did great as well. I want to give a special shout-out to the offensive line. They did really, really well. Executed the game plan extremely well and played extremely physical football,” Johnson said. “On the other side of the ball, defensively, our defensive player of the week Myjae McCoy. That’s our linebacker.”

The Bulldogs’s defense shut down Lake Marion’s run game. The Gators had -8 yards rushing (If you haven’t been in a math class in a while, the symbol in front of the 8 is a negative sign).

“They annihilated the run game and I felt good about that,” Johnson said. “And our special teams player of the week is Lee Best, our kicker, went seven for seven on field goals.”

Johnson said every time his squad takes the field, he expects to win. “I always go into the game expecting to win, it just depends on how the other team plays and how the cards fall.”

Friday, the Bulldogs take on the Cheraw Braves at McAlpine Stadium. Johnson said the Braves team is different and the Bulldogs game plan will be as well.

“I expect Cheraw to play a tough brand of football and be physical with everything they do. Defensively they pressure a lot,” Johnson said. “Andy Poole has been there for a long time, he graduated from there so he’s going to take pride in that place.”

Johnson said the Braves have a run-pass option offense, which gives the team many scoring options depending on how the defense is lined up.

The Bulldog defense will have to keep an eye on Cheraw’s running back, Cam McClendon. The senior rushed for 153 yards and scored a touchdown during the Braves’ win over McBee.

“We got our hands full,” Johnson said. “We’re going to have to mix and match it and not give coach the same look. A lot of that is predicated on pre-snap look and you have to make sure you play people honest when you play teams that check your pockets everywhere.”

The game kicks off Friday at 7:30 p.m. If you plan to attend, remember the stadium has a clear bag policy.

Upcoming games:

Friday, Sept. 6 the Bulldogs travel across the border to face Scotland High in Laurinburg, N.C.

The Fighting Scots dropped their season opener to the Dillon Wildcats, who the Bulldogs will face on October 18 in Dillon.

On Sept. 13, the Bulldogs travel to Conway to take on the Tigers. In the battle of the Tigers last week, Wilson came out on top.