Bozeman christens new jerseys with third win in a row

SAND HILLS — Bozeman won Friday night’s game against Holmes County almost five hours before it started.

The Bozeman booster club surprised the Bucks with brand new, stop-sign red uniforms for the night’s Red Out at a 2 p.m. pep rally.

It was an early Christmas present, Bozeman coach Loren Tillman said. And if a calendar wasn’t nearby, the weather felt like it was late December.

The Bucks (3-4, 2-3) treated the new uniforms like gifts, barely getting them dirty in Bozeman’s 41-21 win over the Blue Devils in a District 1-1A game.

“They’re playing the way we expected them to play because they’re healthy,” Tillman said.

Friday was the Bucks’ third straight win after starting the season 0-4. Bozeman scored on its first four possessions, almost out of necessity.

Holmes County quarterback Jomar Concepcion carried the Blue Devils (1-5, 1-5), scoring two of their touchdowns from 10 and 18 yards. He also had a 27-yard touchdown pass to Timothy Benton in the second quarter.

“We just needed to keep scoring tonight because Mr. Concepcion can change a game very time he touches the ball,” Tillman said.

Concepcion was held in check for most of the game by a tenacious Bucks’ defense that intercepted him once, barely missed on three other chances, and sacked him twice on the first three plays of the second half.

But the senior broke loose for a 46-yard run midway through the fourth quarter, helping pad his 112 yards on 19 carries. He was 5 for 15 passing for 92 yards. No other Blue Devil had more than 4 yards rushing.

“That’s the way it is every week,” Holmes County coach Al Simmons said. “For us to win, he has to hit every pass.”

Bozeman’s six touchdowns were its most since last season’s final game against Eagle Nest, and it was the second consecutive game against Holmes County that the Bucks scored 40 or more.

Senior running back Tyler Grier ran for two touchdowns on runs of 2 and 6 yards, and caught a 33-yard score from quarterback Travis Register that was tipped at the line of scrimmage and landed in Grier’s hands. Another early Christmas present.

Now that Grier and Bozeman’s offensive line are healthy, he’s been the Bucks’ workhorse again. He had 182 yards on 33 carries, efforts that even made Tillman smile.

But Bozeman didn’t just win on the ground. Register was 10 of 16 for 154 yards, and almost had another 25 yards on a beautiful throw that he lofted over the cornerback and into the hands of Greg Weathers, who couldn’t hold onto it near the sideline.

Register ran for two touchdowns, as well.

Joey Brannen ran for a 2-yard TD to cap a 21-point first quarter for Bozeman. He finished with 35 yards on eight carries.

Bozeman is scheduled to wear all blue Friday against Freeport, but Tillman said he doesn’t want to retire the reds just yet.

“It gave us our spark tonight,” he said.

• Holmes County    7 7 0 7   – 21
• Bozeman            21 14 6 0 – 41
• First quarter
• BOZ: Register 14 run (Brannen kick), 7:37
• BOZ: Grier 2 run (Brannen kick), 4:22
• HC: Concepcion 18 run (Bailey kick), 3:08
• BOZ: Brannen 2 run (Brannen kick), :40
• Second quarter
• BOZ: Grier 33 pass from Register (Brannen kick), 11:32
• HC: Benton 27 pass from Concepcion (Bailey kick), 10:07
• BOZ: Grier 6 run (Brannen kick) 1:52
• Third quarter
• BOZ: Register 1 run (kick failed), 8:40
• Fourth quarter
• HC: Concepcion 10 run (Bailey kick), 7:46