The objective was straightforward. Win and you're in. Bohemia Manor won. Perryville is done. The Eagles (6-4) clinched their sixth straight playoff appearance with a 28-0 romp over the host Panthers Friday night. Perryville (6-4) missed out on a postseason bid after losing its final three games. Johhny Knight had a hand in all four Bo Manor scores and picked off a Perryville pass. "We changed some things up, put a little shotgun in," Knight said. "That really helped us in the long run. And our line, give all the credit to them up front. They did a hell of a job blocking for us." Knight ran for one touchdown and tossed three TD passes, including two to Cameron Garcia. "Everybody knows that he's an athlete," Bohemia Manor coach Joe Graf said of Knight. "We put a little wrinkle into the offense this week. He's a heck of a ballplayer. But it was all of the seniors. The seniors really stepped up and led us. The o-line played a phenomenal [game], probably the best game they played all year." Knight found Jake Harris all alone down the middle and Harris galloped to the end zone to complete a 60-yard touchdown which put the Eagles up 7-0 midway through the first quarter. Knight scampered 46 yards for another score 50 seconds into the second quarter. "It was read-option so it's just reading the d-end," he said. "We practiced it all week, prepared for it." Knight connected with Garcia for a five-yard scoring strike 28 seconds before halftime. Then with 6:10 remaining in the third quarter, Knight hit Garcia on an out pattern and Garcia turned up and sped down the sideline for an 87-yard TD. Meanwhile, Bohemia Manor's defense bottled up the Perryville offense to notch its third shutout of the season. "We talked all week that we needed to get back to the defense that we had in the middle of the season, playing aggressive, playing smart," said Graf. "They did what they were supposed to do. They were focused all week in practice and the game plan the coaches put in [was good] and they executed it." Knight also credited the game plan. "They've got a similar offense to us," he said. "We just keyed in on that. Watched a lot of film all week." With their season hanging in the balance, the Eagles managed to find the delicate balance between playing with enthusiasm and maintaining concentration. "We told them it was a basically win or go home, but it was still just a football game, and to stay mentally focused, and leave your teammates in the best position possible to win the game," Graf said. Said Knight: "Our chances, if we lost, of getting into the playoffs were very low. And I feel like that motivated us and got us to another level." The Eagles are rightfully proud of their tradition. "It's pretty special," said Graf. "I was able to take over for Todd (Shives), who did an excellent job of establishing the culture here. I get great kids who buy in to what we do, listen, and just want to soak up the knowledge of the game. So it's exciting." Bohemia Manor, seeded second in the region tournament, hosts Cambridge-South Dorchester Friday night at 7. Interview with Bohemia Manor's Johnny Knight Comments are closed.
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