Bishops rally in 4th quarter to beat Philip Simmons

Daniel Island - In a game that felt more like a preseason scrimmage, the Bishop England Bishops scored three touchdowns in the last eight minutes of the game to rally from a 14-0 deficit and beat rival Philip Simmons, 21-14.

Bishops’ quarterback Quinn Mahoney rushed for more than 100 yards in the final quarter to overcome a bad night through the air. Mahoney finished the game with 133 yards on the ground.

Bishop England improved to 3-0 under first-year coach Logan Hall and snapped a three-game losing streak to the Iron Horses.

“We are a team that is never going to quit and we are always going to believe in each other,” Mahoney said. “This was incredible. When the fourth quarter started we just kept saying we could do this. One play at a time”

The lack of big game atmosphere was due to there being no fans from either team in the stands after a social media post and subsequent responses forced Bishop England to not allow fans as a precaution.

“The whole situation is unfortunate but this is a game that needs to be played every year,” Bishop England coach Logan Hall said. “I hope we can move past this. I have great respect for Philip Simmons and they are so well-coached. We won the game and that’s most important for us as we try to build a program here.”

A September football game with no fans, bands, or cheerleaders can make it difficult for players to bring their usual intensity and fire. However, both Bishop England and Philip Simmons played with great effort, though neither team played well for most of the night.

After the Iron Horses took a 14-0 lead on the first play of the fourth quarter, Mahoney started to find success with the quarterback counter and the Bishops ran wild.

Mahoney scored on a one-yard run with 7:44 left in the game to trim the deficit to 14-7. After getting a defensive stop, Mahoney ripped off 40 yards on a run and Nate Anderson followed with a 32-yard touchdown run to tie the game with 4;31 remaining.

Mahoney provided the clincher with a 23-yard run with 38 seconds left in the game.

“The offensive line just dominated in the fourth quarter,” Mahoney said. “The play kept working and we kept running it. The way we played in the fourth quarter is what we are capable of every week.”

The only score of the first half came near the end of the first quarter when Philip Simmons running back Darriel Porcher busted loose on a 53-yard touchdown run to give the Iron Horses a 7-0 lead. Porcher finished the game with 100 yards rushing.

Both teams like to work the passing game offensively but neither had much success throughout the first half. It was not until late in the second quarter before the Bishops completed a pass. Bishop England’s defense kept their team in the game by forcing two turnovers.