The last time South Warren and two-time defending state champion Bowling Green met on the football field things did not go as planned for the Spartans, as the Purples romped to a 43-7 victory at El Donaldson Stadium back on Oct. 20.
But the Spartans would be the ones to get the last laugh.
South Warren senior running back Christian Winn ran for 183 yards and three touchdowns, the Spartans’ defense forced four turnovers and came up with five sacks and South Warren shocked the entire area with a 28-21 victory over Bowling Green in the Class 5A Region One title game on Friday night.
“I am so happy for the seniors,” South Warren coach Brandon Smith said. “They’ve worked for it and they’ve earned it. We had a goal that we set four weeks ago when we got our butt kicked over here and they achieved it.”
The South Warren seniors certainly bought in after the shellacking that the Spartans took back in late October.
“It was harsh after getting beat so badly the last time,” Winn said. “We knew that we could do it and it was just a matter of us doing it.”
The two teams were deadlocked at 7-7 at halftime, and that was mainly because the Spartans and Purples combined for six turnovers in the first half alone. But both offenses would finally get going in the second half.
Bowling Green (10-3) began the scoring for the final 24 minutes, as senior running back Dazhon Blakely rumbled in from 13 yards out to give the Purples a 14-7 advantage with 10:03 left in the third quarter.
But that would be the only time Bowling Green would lead the entire game.
South Warren (11-2) quickly responded with a long drive that consisted of many handoffs to Winn, and the Spartans drove all the way to the Purple 1-yard line before junior quarterback Gavin Spurrier faked the handoff to Winn and knotted it back up with 7:22 remaining in the third.
Bowling Green drove all the way to the Spartan 29-yard line on the ensuing drive, but the Purples were unable to convert a 4th-and-9, giving the ball back to the Spartans.
South Warren once again went on a long, Winn-heavy drive before the senior broke several tackles and found the end zone from 26 yards out to propel the Spartans back in front, 21-14.
The Purples then drove deep into Spartan territory yet again before being put in a fourth down situation yet again. But Bowling Green was able to capitalize this time around.
With a tenacious Spartan blitz bearing down upon him, junior quarterback Beau Buchanan was able to evade the pressure, escape the pocket, and run in for a 27-yard score to tie the game back up with 11:14 left in regulation.
South Warren drove down the field into Purple territory before electing to punt, pinning Bowling Green deep back in its own territory at the 6-yard line after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
The ensuing play changed the entire landscape of the game.
Buchanan was trying to connect with Blakely on a screen pass on the right side when senior cornerback Greg Byrd of South Warren intercepted Buchanan at the Bowling Green 4-yard line.
“We went over that play a lot in practice,” Byrd said. “It’s one of those things where you look at formations and start eliminating potential plays and that’s what I did.”
Winn then powered his way into the end zone a couple plays later to give South Warren a 28-21 lead with 6:38 to play.
The Purples responded by driving all the way down to the Spartan 22-yard line before an intentional grounding penalty and a viscous sack by South Warren junior Pete Cross on third down forced the Purples to punt.
South Warren went three-and-out, and Bowling Green drove all the way down to the Spartan 39-yard line before being faced with yet another fourth down. Buchanan made a valiant effort by scrambling out of the pocket on the right side, but the junior was marked just inches shy of the sticks to give the ball back to South Warren.
Winn had some nice runs to chew off the clock, and the Purples did not get the ball back until there was just 24 seconds remaining. Buchanan’s Hail Mary pass was batted down on the final play of the game, and South Warren students and fans proceeded to storm the field to celebrate the shocking win.
Offensively South Warren was led by Winn. The senior rushed for 186 yards and three touchdowns on 37 attempts, and Smith had nothing but praise for his standout running backs.
“He did outstanding,” Smith said. “The second half he really took over the game and he did a great job.”
But Winn says that it was not entirely his doing in his spectacular performance.
“All credits to the O-line,” Winn said. “They are the ones that made it happen. They created the holes and I just ran up through them. It’s all them.”
Spurrier completed 13-of-18 passes for 150 yards to complement his one rushing touchdown in the win.
Seniors Cody Eblen and Marcus Elmore topped the receiving corps, recording 51 and 59 receiving yards, respectively.
But the main story of the night was the Spartans’ defense.
Buchanan entered the game having not thrown a single interception on the season, but the junior would throw three by the time the final buzzer blew on Friday night. He was also sacked five times by the Spartans, and junior defensive lineman and Notre Dame commit Jacob Lacey recorded a season-high three sacks.
“The last two or three games they have done a great job,” Smith said. “They have stepped up to the occasion. I thought the secondary did an excellent job; the defensive line battled. They just made plays when they needed to.”
Bowling Green ends its season with a 10-3 record, and the Purples’ quest for their sixth state title in seven seasons came to an end. The loss to South Warren also marked the first time since 2010 that Bowling Green had fallen to a team from Warren County, as Warren Central narrowly defeated the Purples 17-14 that year.
South Warren will now host Covington Catholic on Friday night, looking to advance to the state championship at Kroger Field in Lexington on Dec. 2. The Colonels (13-0) will enter Bowling Green with an undefeated record after blowing away South Oldham, 49-7, on Friday night.
“I know they haven’t lost a game and they’re a heck of a ball club,” Smith said. “We’ll come back Monday, regroup, and get ready for Friday.”
