By Marcus Walsh
LowcoSports.com
The defenses dominated the day in sloppy conditions at Hilton Head Prep’s Dolphin Stadium on Friday for WHHI-TV’s Independent Bowl, but the John Paul II Golden Warriors did just enough in the trenches to come away with a hard-fought 17-7 victory, spoiling Hilton Head Prep’s homecoming.
Jadon Inabinett finished with 102 rushing yards and a touchdown, and Alan Wolf added a touchdown run to help JPII squeak past the Dolphins and improve to 4-3 on the season, a year after winning only one game.
Defense and special teams stole the show for much of the afternoon, as Hilton Head Prep’s defense made two goal-line stands and used punter Finn Rooney’s booming foot to flip the field and get into the locker room at halftime locked in a scoreless draw. Brody Hausher picked off Wolf in the end zone to thwart the Golden Warriors’ first promising drive, and Paulie Smith and the Dolphins’ defensive line stuffed JPII on fourth down at the goal line to end another drive without points.
The Golden Warriors finally activated the scoreboard with 5:14 left in the third quarter, when Wolf called his own number on fourth down and slipped into the end zone for a 7-0 lead. Inabinett hit paydirt on the next possession, punching it in after JPII extended the drive with an acrobatic catch on the sidelines after Wolf scrambled to avoid a sack.
The Dolphins punched right back, as Davis Cargill reversed field and went 38 yards down the right side on the final play of the third quarter, trimming the deficit in half at 14-7.
JPII pushed the ball down the field again, though, and Merrick Baroni booted a 35-yard field goal to make it a two-score game, then JPII’s defense made one last stop on fourth down and ran out the clock on a well-earned win.
Phelan and Andrew Boyden made huge contributions on both sides of the ball for the Golden Warriors, as Phelan snagged four passes for 68 yards and collected eight tackles and a tackle for loss, while Boyden had a team-high 11 tackles and two tackles for loss along with 50 rushing yards on 15 carries, mostly between the tackles.
JPII (4-3) will be back on WHHI-TV on Oct. 24 for a key region clash against Hilton Head Christian Academy in the Intercounty Bowl. HHP (1-6) hosts St. John’s Christian Academy for a region game Friday.
