MAULDIN — Boiling Springs football had a hope, a dream, and 1 minute and 39 seconds to put six points on the board.
At first, the end zone seemed like a repellent to the Bulldogs, as they struggled to score a touchdown in the first three quarters, settling for field goals.
That was until junior quarterback Imri Logan realized it was win or go home.
On third-and-goal, Logan darted left to score a 5-yard rushing touchdown and give Boiling Springs the 16-14 victory over Mauldin with 5 seconds left at Freeman Field in the first round of the Class AAAAA-D1 SCHSL playoffs.
“At first, that play was supposed to be a throw,” Logan said. “But when I saw the open field, I just decided to take off and score. Glad it worked out.”
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Before the Bulldogs (5-6) marched down the field to score, Mauldin receiver Tamari Shepard miraculously caught a 48-yard touchdown pass to give the Mavericks (5-6) the 14-9 lead with less than two minutes to go in the game.
“After they score that touchdown, there were some nerves,” Logan said. “But at the end of the day, I know my team. We can go down and score if we really want to, all we have to do is put our heads to it.”
There wasn’t a single soul on the field who looked more elated than Boiling Springs coach Matt Reel. After the clock hit zero, he leaped in the air so high, you’d think he was trying to touch the moon.
“It was a big play from him,” Reel said. “We’d been working on that one for the last five to six weeks, and wanted to confuse the defense a little bit. Imri ran it perfect, and got us into the end zone.”
This marks the second straight year where Boiling Springs comes away with a playoff victory after an eight-season drought prior to last season's 32-0 shutout win over Dorman.
Tensions flared and the match ended in a postgame scuffle with pushing and shoving from both sides. But Logan was unfazed, still riding the high from accomplishing his goal.
Winning the game.
“The last time we came down here, they beat us,” he said. “But this time, we came back, and beat them. That’s all I got to say about them, that’s all that matters.”
Next up, the Bulldogs have their biggest task yet, as they’ll travel to take on South Carolina powerhouse Dutch Fork, which has won the past nine state championships.
But for Logan and the Bulldogs, it doesn’t matter the opponent — the focus stays the same.
“Just have to stay locked in,” he said. “Go out there, give it our all, and play football.”
Kamryn Jackson covers high school and college sports for the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, Greenville News, Anderson Independent Mail, and the USA TODAY Network. Please email her at [email protected] and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @KamxJack.