Blue Flame Sports Network
A night to remember: Pickens ends 20-year playoff drought with 56-8 win
PICKENS: For the Blue Flame seniors, Friday night offered one more chance to leave something behind at Coach Bill Isaacs Field. They made it a night the next group will have to live up to.
In the first home playoff game at Pickens High School’s current campus, the Blue Flame overwhelmed Walhalla 56-8, ending a 20-year wait for a postseason victory and extending a season that now takes them to Daniel.
Pickens had not won a playoff game since beating Chester 17-6 in 2006. This senior class changed that with six first-half touchdowns, a 42-0 halftime lead and a defense that kept Walhalla out of the end zone until the final minutes.
For seniors including Brooks Dow and Cam Wilson, what could be their final home game became more than a farewell. They helped give this field its first playoff victory.
Dow set the pace. The senior quarterback scored from the 1 on Pickens’ opening possession, and Wilson followed with a touchdown after taking a toss. When a failed Walhalla punt snap handed the Blue Flame another opportunity, Dow finished the possession with a keeper. Pickens led 21-0 with 5:14 still remaining in the first quarter.
A week after a four-point loss at Seneca, Pickens had taken control before Walhalla could settle in.
The second quarter brought three more touchdowns. Dow connected with Wilson for a 30-yard score with 11:22 left before halftime. Ashton Woody added a 35-yard touchdown reception, and Issac Arnold caught an 18-yard scoring pass before the break.
By halftime, Pickens had built a 42-0 cushion. The offense was finding answers through the air and on the ground, while the defense was making sure Walhalla had no way back.
Woody caught his second touchdown pass after halftime to help push the lead to 49-0. Then Rylie Johnson put the defense on the scoreboard, returning an interception 55 yards for a touchdown. The extra point made it 56-0.
Dow finished with 202 passing yards and 102 rushing yards, throwing four touchdown passes and running for two more. The unofficial totals gave him 304 yards of offense and six touchdowns. Pickens produced 407 yards on 41 plays, picked up 16 first downs and was penalized four times for 40 yards.
Walhalla finally scored with 1:17 remaining when Caleb Johnson reached the end zone on a 4-yard run. A successful two-point conversion on a fake extra-point attempt made the final margin 56-8.
The Blue Flame move on to Daniel on Friday, November 13, for the second round of the Class 3A playoffs. Kickoff is expected at 7:30 p.m., with the SiteOne Landscape Supply Pregame Show on BFSN beginning at 7.
There is another game to prepare for and another challenge ahead. But this group has already changed the story at home: the first playoff night at Coach Bill Isaacs Field ended with a win, and the seniors helped make it happen.
Full-game replay
Listen to the complete BFSN broadcast, including pregame, game and postgame coverage. Runtime: 2 hours, 57 minutes, 48 seconds.