THERE were no official fireworks to mark the 25th annual Buchanan Bowl Saturday but an offensive explosion lit up Confederation Field as Carson Graham defeated Handsworth in the highest-scoring game in the history of the series.
Carson strung together big play after big play to build up a commanding 35-9 lead at halftime. In the second half the teams traded points like it was a basketball game, the clock finally running out on a 62-36 win for the Eagles.
"The kids put it together," said Carson head coach John Buchanan after the game as he tried to explain the offensive outburst. "Our quarterback is obviously very talented, we've got a really good group of receivers. Our running game was very strong today. We were able to keep them off balance and we capitalized." Carson's Isaac Birch set the tone for the day with a 51-yard touchdown to open the scoring, one of three long touchdown runs - the other two went for 49 and 55 yards - for the Grade 12 running back on the day. Birch ended the game with nine carries for 183 yards.
Next up was the Darius Lamiere and Nik Termansen show as the former, a Grade 11 quarterback, picked out the latter for three touchdown strikes in the first half, including a 56-yard bomb to make the score 21-0 for Carson.
Handsworth cut into the lead with a Cameron Alexander reception from quarterback Michael Lemoine and then added a safety touch to make it 28-9, but Lamiere found Termansen for a pretty 22-yard touchdown catch with 17 seconds left in the first half to make the score 35-9 and take away hope for a Handsworth comeback.
The Royals, however, never let up in the second half, marching up and down the field and matching the Eagles score for score as each team put up 27 points in the half.
Handsworth's Alexander caught two more touchdowns, giving him three on the day, while Connor McSweeney and Rokin Wong powered in short runs for the Royals' other scores.
The Eagles, meanwhile, did it all on the ground in the second half with Birch scoring two long TDs and Cody Pitman and Bryan Hilario adding touchdown runs of their own.
After the game Buchanan praised his own team's effort while also acknowledging the spirit that Handsworth showed in continuing to battle while faced with a big deficit.
"Full credit - (Handsworth) wouldn't let up," he said. "They moved the ball really well, they had it on the goal line a couple of times. It could have been a very different game. . . . Their defence worked hard, their offence moved the ball really well and I think we just got some lucky breaks."
Carson quarterback Lamiere is new to the school - originally from the North Shore, he spent the last two years living in San Diego - and has done a great job taking control of the offence, said Buchanan.
"First and foremost, he's a leader," said Buchanan. "He does the extra work with the receivers, has very high expectations for what he expects of them, which is great. For a guy that's brand-new to the school to come in and show that kind of leadership is amazing and he's got the skills to match it."
In addition to their high flyers on offence the Eagles also lean heavily on the leadership of two-way players Nick Pankratz and Kevin Nicholson, said Buchanan, adding that Carson's bench is not nearly as deep as it is for some of the teams they'll be competing against in AAA play this season.
"We need to stay healthy all season," he said. "If we do I'm pretty hopeful that we can do some good things."
Hansdworth, meanwhile, is a AA team but hat doesn't temper the rivalry that has grown the Buchanan Bowl since it was first played in 987. Carson now leads the series 15-10, their in this season avenging Handsworth's thrilling 5-34 victory in 2010. As is usual at the game, he stands were packed with supporters of both chools dressed - sometimes hilariously - in chool colours and yelling for their team.
"It's great - I hope the (fans) had as much fun as we did," said Buchanan. The game is named after his late father James, who worked at both Handsworth and Carson Graham.
"He was a big, big fan of high school sports," John Buchanan said about his father. "He would absolutely love this."
. . .
The final score set all kinds of Buchanan Bowl records, including:
- Highest combined score: 98 points (previous high was 69 in 2010).
- Highest score for a winning team: 62 for Carson (previous high was 47 by Carson in 2000).
- Highest score for a losing team: 36 for Handsworth (previous high was 34 by Carson in 2010).
Pitman, a two-way terror who plays a mean linebacker, was named the player of the game for Carson Graham while lineman Neil Courtney earned the honour for Handsworth.
aprest@nsnews.com
