WRCBtv.com | Chattanooga News, Weather & SportsBucs stick to strengths in return to quarterfinals

CHATTANOOGA (WRCB) -- The home locker room wasn't a pleasant place at halftime of last week's Class 2A second round contest at Boyd-Buchanan.

The host Bucs trailed Rockwood 10-0 after one of its worst offensive halves of the season. They were frustrated. They were angry. But they did not panic.

Leaning heavily on their strengths, defense and special teams, Boyd rallied for 17-13 win to advance to the state quarterfinals for a fourth straight year.

In a surprise, they'll host Friendship Christian, who was an upset winner over Trousdale County. It will be another physical, grind-it-out playoff matchup, which is just how the Bucs seem to like it.

"Our seniors have played in 11 or 12 playoff games already, and that experience definitely paid off," said defensive back Kyle Thomas, who had a hand in two key second-half turnovers. "We went to the semis last year and we've been to state once.

"We know what it takes to get there, and that's what we plan on getting back to."

While the defense continues to impress, it was the special teams that proved truly special against Rockwood.

Thomas forced a fumble on a punt that led to Chase Reed's field goal, and Reed later pinned the Tigers inside their own five with a perfectly placed punt. John Hale finished off the comeback with an 86-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that provided the final margin of victory with less than four minutes to play.

"When you're going through practice it's always like 'Aw, we've got to go over special teams  and snapping again?" said Thomas. "But it's easy to see that work definitely pays off."

Reed described every moment of the kicking game as "a big play for your team or the opposing team," adding he gets more worked up over a great punt or kick than he does when scoring a touchdown from his running back position.

Reynolds believes the added emphasis on the often-ignored third facet of the game will continue providing big plays moving forward for the Bucs in their playoff run. He just hopes the they come a bit earlier against Friendship Christian than they did against Rockwood.

"We feel comfortable in those tight, physical games, but you hate for them to go that long without knowing the outcome," he said. "I'm just proud of the way our kids pulled it out at the end when they were faced with adversity.

"That's what you have to be able to do this time of the year."