Boyden, Wolf power Golden Warriors offense
By Max Arraj
LowcoSports.com
They’ll be dressing down at John Paul II Catholic School on Monday, and they hope to make it a regular occasion.
The Golden Warriors’ football team earned the entire school the right to wear their “Victory Monday” T-shirts after grinding out a 31-22 win over visiting Colleton Prep on Friday at Hardeeville’s City Hall.
Alan Wolf bookended a breakthrough performance for JPII’s offense with a pair of long touchdown runs and connected with freshman phenom Jadon Inabinett for a long touchdown pass to help the Golden Warriors stun the War Hawks in a shootout.
Wolf scampered to the end zone on the second play from scrimmage, and the teams traded touchdowns early before JPII opened up a 24-14 lead on a Jackson Reilley field goal.
Colleton Prep rallied to pull within 24-22 early in the fourth quarter, but Wolf went 60 yards to paydirt on the next offensive play to restore the two-score lead. JPII’s defense made a big stop, and coach Shayne Milligan let his bruising back seal the win with a gutsy fourth-down call.
“I knew between Alan and Andrew Boyden, we would take care of the ball and we would drive it home,” Milligan said on Lowco Pigskin Live. “Those two guys, when it’s down to crunch time, I want the ball in their hands.”
Boyden converted, Wolf took a knee, and the Golden Warriors celebrated a huge win for a program that is hungry for success after a couple of tough seasons to start Milligan’s tenure.
The backfield duo was the backbone of JPII’s success Friday. Boyden was the workhorse, rushing for 134 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, while Wolf racked up 127 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries and went 3-for-5 passing for 90 yards and a score. Inabinett was the speedster for JPII, adding 26 yards on five carries as well as a 58-yard touchdown reception from Wolf.
Boyden’s impact wasn’t limited to offense — he delivered a standout performance on defense, flying from sideline to sideline to make tackles and anchor the middle of the field.
The Golden Warriors’ defense was relentless all night. Sean Phalen lived in the War Hawks’ backfield, contributing to three sacks, two of them solo efforts. Zachary Moulton provided stability and leadership on the back end, making several impressive open-field tackles to keep Colleton Prep’s offense in check. The secondary came up big as well, with Taylor Murphy and Reilley each recording interceptions.
The War Hawks (0-1) look to bounce back next week at St. John’s Christian Academy, while the Golden Warriors (1-0) face a tough road test next week at Laurence Manning, which won 54-25 in Hardeeville a year ago.
“Nothing’s gonna change with what we’re doing,” Milligan said. “I have confidence in our backfield. A lot of our focus is going to be on our pass defense. A couple things tonight I was a little frustrated with, but I think a lot of that just comes down to getting reps.”
