Bearcats rediscover identity, top Tigers

BOONEVILLE — Booneville Coach Scott Hyatt said he had been waiting all season for his team to put it all together in a game.

The Bearcats did that Friday night in a 39-32 victory against Charleston at rainy and windy Bearcat Stadium.

“This is the best game we have played this year,” Hyatt said. “I don’t know where these kids came from tonight. I’m really proud of them.”

Charleston (5-4, 4-2 4-3A) took a 25-20 lead on a trick play when wide receiver Mason Wisdom passed to Sean Michael Flanagan with 4:41 left in the third quarter, but Booneville (3-6, 2-4) used big plays on defense and special teams to regain the lead.

Booneville’s Jeff Dobbs returned an interception for a 58-yard touchdown and a 2625 lead with 16 seconds left in the third quarter.

“That was huge,” Hyatt said. “They were looking to go up by two scores, but we made a huge play.”

Charleston turned it over again on its next drive when Booneville’s Brady Brasher came up with an interception that helped set up a 45-yard touchdown from Grant Rodatz that pushed the Bearcats’ lead to 32-25 with 7:16 left in the fourth quarter.

Taking advantage of the soggy conditions on the field, Hyatt called for a squib kick that Booneville recovered. The Bearcats capped the ensuing 42-yard drive with a 5-yard run by Caleb Draper for a 39-25 lead with 2:23 left in the game.

“We didn’t play very smart,” Charleston Coach Greg Kendrick said. “They say good teams make good breaks. They did with their effort. That’s something for our kids to learn.”

Draper finished with 30 carries for 114 yards and 3 touchdowns. Grant Rodatz added 155 yards and 1 touchdown on 16 carries, and quarterback Hayden Fennell finished with 75 yards with 1 touchdown on 9 carries.

“We’ve had our running game work for a couple guys,” Hyatt said.

Wisdom finished with 7 catches for 118 yards with 1 touchdown and threw a 23yard touchdown pass for Charleston. Flanagan had 11 catches for 100 yards and 3