For the seventh consecutive year, the Bowling Green Purples opened the season with a win in the Rafferty’s Bowl. This season, BGHS beat Lexington Catholic 48-21 in the 2013 Rafferty’s Bowl held at Western Kentucky University. The Purples were led by their offense on Saturday night, as Bowling Green had four passing touchdowns and three rushing.
The offense for the Purples remained the same as it was last season. Senior quarterback Devin Hayes connected to senior receiver Nacarius Fant four times for touchdowns. Hayes finished the game with 175 yards on eight completions. Fant had four catches for 149 yards, and was named the offensive player of the game. The four receiving touchdowns were a career high for the Western Kentucky-bound Fant.
BGHS also had the ground game working against Lexington Catholic, scoring three rushing touchdowns. Senior Blake Pillow scored twice, and senior Danny Dewalt scored once. The Purples finished with 269 rushing yards, including 139 from senior Blue Tisdale.
Bowling Green will have to look towards some new players to make plays on the defensive end in 2013. The Rafferty’s Bowl was the first game for a few of Saturday’s starters, including seniors McKenzie Proctor and Tyler Jopes. Both of these players made an impact for BGHS in a big game. Proctor joined first-time starter Darian Scott on the defensive line to cause havoc in the Knights’ backfield. Scott finished with two sacks, while Proctor finished with one tackle for loss. “We were just faster than them,” said Proctor. The defensive line wasn’t the only factor in the win, as Tyler Jopes made a big impact in the secondary. Jopes intercepted a pass from Lexington Catholic’s Reese Ryan in the first half to set up a Purples’ touchdown. The interception turned the tide of the game, and earned Jopes the defensive player of the game. “I think it shifted the momentum, the offense got it going after that,” said Jopes.
The win for the Purples was their 31st straight victory, and their seventh consecutive Rafferty’s Bowl win. The offense and defense both showed out, mainly the two MVPs, Fant and Jopes. BGHS will take on Bryan Station on August 31st to try and continue their winning streak.
