“I challenged them pretty good. I did at first,” he said. “I got into them pretty good, and I told them I’ll be down on the sidelines ready to go. Then I left the locker room. I came down here with 15 minutes left at the half. So I guess that worked.”
Lakota West went on to score 35 straight points in the second half to roll through Greater Miami Conference rival Hamilton for a 42-14 victory in regular-season finale at Virgil Schwarm Stadium.
Jacob Asbeck returned an interception for a score on Hamilton’s first possession of the second half — which broke open a 7-7 tie — and that’s all the Firebirds needed to jumpstart a dominant final 24 minutes.
“It was a momentum changer,” said Asbeck, a senior linebacker. “Obviously, Coach B came in the locker room at the half and ripped us — he let us have it. We responded. We changed the momentum. We got back and put our foot on the gas. It was no stopping from there.”
The Firebirds (8-2, 8-1 GMC) finished second in the conference, behind Princeton (10-0, 9-0), which beat Sycamore on Friday to claim the GMC title outright. Hamilton (7-3, 7-2) came in third in the conference.
Both programs have unofficially clinched a Division I, Region 4 playoff berth and a first-round home game. Their postseason opponents and seedings are yet to be determined, based on Harbin points. Those will be announced Sunday.
“I felt good. I felt like we were good enough to play with these guys,” Big Blue coach Arvie Crouch said. “We’ve had a tumultuous week to say the least. For us to hang in there in the first half was impressive with what we’ve been dealing with.
“I love these kids. These kids are great kids, and we’re going to get it straightened out and be ready to go next week.”
Braydon Johnson scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to put Lakota West on top 7-0 near the end of the first quarter. A Firebirds’ fumble later led to Big Blue’s first score.
Hamilton quarterback Antonio Mathis eluded an aggressive Lakota West pass rush before connecting with Marlon Reed on a 77-yard touchdown pass that tied it up 7-7 with 2:32 left before the half.
“That was interesting. The tale of two halves,” Bolden said. “It’s one of those things where the kids have got to learn. We’re up 7-0. We’ve got a great chance to go up 14-0, and you turn the ball over. All of a sudden, we don’t get the sack, and we’ve got a guy where he’s not supposed to be — bumps into another guy. Then we fall down, and they score. It’s 7-7 — that’s a 14-point swing.”
Asbeck’s pick-6 right out of the third-quarter gate changed the dynamic of the game.
Johnson added two more rushing touchdowns and a 61-yard touchdown reception in the second half. Johnson finished with 74 yards on the ground and his four scores. West quarterback Sam Wiles threw for 106 yards and a touchdown on 6 of 12 passing, and he rushed for 50 yards and score.
“I’m proud how they responded — definitely proud of them,” Bolden said.
Mathis, who was fighting an illness all week, threw for 112 yards on 7 of 14 passing. Cournell Bennett-McCoy came in down the stretch and threw a touchdown pass to R.J. Shephard-Ruffin late in the fourth.
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