The feeling was all too familiar for John Houpt and the Bluffton Bobcats. Staring at a 22-point deficit against three-time defending SCISA 1A champion Thomas Heyward, yet another tough defeat seemed inevitable. But under the lights of their home field, the resilient Bobcats dug deep, rewrote the script, and accomplished the improbable.
Junior quarterback Max Vonhohenstraeten caught fire with three late touchdown passes to force overtime, and JaQuinn Williams punched in the go-ahead touchdown in overtime Friday to stun the Rebels 29-22 for the Bobcats’ first win since 2019, snapping a 13-game losing streak.
“They’ve been fighting for so much the last two years, and they never quit,” Bluffton coach John Houpt said. “They never got their heads down, and they trusted the fact that they could overcome adversity.”
The epic began as a defensive struggle. Neither side could find consistency and saw its opening possessions fizzle out. An early Bobcat sack of THA quarterback Dietrich Shuford gave the home team excellent field position, but a Vonhohenstraeten interception quickly wiped away the chance. After a scoreless first 12 minutes, the Rebels finally broke through. On third-and-11, Shuford connected with Cody Parker for 46 yards to set up a Tony O’Banner 5-yard burst into the end zone.
The clutch play continued from Shuford, converting on another pair of third downs through the air including a 10-yard hookup with Brandon Howard to stretch the lead to 14-0 in the dying seconds of the half. Bluffton’s defense was keeping its team in the game, but the offense couldn’t find a way through against a strong Rebel front while committing several untimely penalties.
As the second half began, the Rebels looked ready to put down the finishing blow on a SCHSL 4A program. Brandon Smith punished wildcat quarterback Camauri Simmons to halt a promising drive, and a brilliant punt return by James Townsend brought the Rebels right into Bobcat territory. On the first play of the series, Anthony Fripp took it the distance, gashing a seemingly-weary Bobcat defense for 48 yards and an easy score.
Lights out. Or at least we thought.
It seemed like yet another wasted Bobcat drive: 2nd-and-22 on Bluffton’s own 19. But a determined Vonhohenstraeten was ready to pen a new story. After completions to Jaylin Linder and Roderick Buxton, the Bobcats had a new set of downs. Then Simmons became the spark, pulling in a pair of catches and using his blazing speed to trouble the Rebel defense. After a huge third-down conversion, Vonhohenstraeten found him in the left corner of the end zone to put his team on the board.
The first Bluffton score fired up the crowd, and the defense. A quick stop gave the ball right back to the home side as the fourth quarter began. On the opening play of the drive, Vonhohenstraeten saw Kenton Frazier tracking towards the goal line and flung it 40 yards into his arms. The unproven junior quarterback was feeling it. All of a sudden, this Rebel clinic became a nail-biting, eight-point game.
“Those plays weren’t really in our playbook,” Vonhohenstraeten said. “I gotta give credit to the coaches for coming up with those plays and installing them. I wanted to change up my reads, not force interceptions. I just had to change it up and take easier passes, and then the bigger things opened up.”
Houpt couldn’t have been happier with his quarterback’s play down the stretch.
“He trusted the receivers, and the receivers ran, and the line blocked,” Houpt said. “We made a lot of mistakes early on in that first half that I think just kept us from breaking out. We wanted to run the ball early on, and it wasn’t very efficient. So we wanted to trust in throwing it with Max and we bought into the system, and they did a great job.”
Bluffton’s defensive line fed off the newfound energy and swallowed up Fripp to end another quick Rebel drive. The roles had completely reversed. But Vonhohenstraeten and the Bobcat offense had more work to do. What was a run-heavy gameplan became an aerial assault with a red-hot quarterback. After a pair of quick completions inside the THA 20, Vonhohenstraeten began to feel the nerves. But on fourth down with time ticking away, he dug in and made the throw the Bobcats needed. The junior scanned the field and tossed it to Robert Brown in the end zone before taking it in himself for two more. Thomas Heyward’s 22-point lead was history.
Both sides had a look at a game-winning drive, but the two defensive lines stood tall to push the thriller to overtime.
Starting from the 10-yard-line doesn’t favor the deep passing attack, and the Bobcats suddenly found themselves behind the eight ball after a pair of incompletions. But on a near must-convert scenario, the man of the hour came through one last time. With the Rebel defense in pursuit, Vonhohenstraeten heaved a ball to the corner, and the spectacular Linder pulled it in. But the Bobcats were still a yard short.
For the last two seasons, they were too many times unable to seize opportunities in the deciding moments. But this time, they used every ounce of their energy and desire to finish off a signature victory. On fourth-and-inches, JaQuinn Williams fought his way through a menacing Rebel front and pushed across the goal line to put the Bobcats on top 29-22.
Coming into this new season, Houpt’s defense was certainly a work in progress. With an explosive Thomas Heyward attack adorned with high-quality skill players and a stellar offensive line, the Bobcats’ task was stiff. But they found a way. After a bobbled snap and prompt tackle in the backfield followed by another excellent run stop, the Rebels had to throw it deep. Shuford couldn’t connect on a desperation third down, setting up an all-or-nothing fourth-and-goal next to a Bluffton crowd ready to erupt. With one chance left to save a heartbreaking loss, Shuford’s final bid soared over his target and onto the grass. The comeback was complete.
It was a dream performance from Vonhohenstraeten, completing 19 of 31 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns. Linder’s play at wideout was instrumental, catching five passes for 93 yards while Brown, Frazier, and Simmons all hauled in touchdown grabs before Williams delivered the knockout punch in overtime. The defensive line was phenomenal, stymying a group of electric THA runners.
Fripp led the Rebel offense, picking up 127 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. O’Banner ran for 42 yards with a score, and Howard added a touchdown grab.
Six months ago, Bluffton High School and the football program lost a special young man. On the first home game after DJ Fields’ passing, an inspired Bobcat group took his dedication, his hunger, and his smile back to his home stadium to deliver a win to remember.
“His birthday is coming up very soon, and I think he was with us on this field to help us,” Houpt said. “I think he was our 12th player. We had him on our helmets. We had his coach, we had his family here, I think a lot of this was for him and for us. He was Bluffton and we are Bluffton.”
Bluffton (1-2) will look to build on its newfound momentum at home against Wade Hampton on Friday, while Thomas Heyward (2-1) travels to Sea Pines for a Friday matinee game.
By Wes Kerr
