Motivated Bears Hammer Hermits From Start to Finish, 70-20

HERMITAGE - Coming oft' a big win over the defending state champion Strong Bulldogs the week before, it would have been easy for the Woodlawn Bears to overlook their next South Conference, the Hermitage Hermits.It had all the earmarks of a trap game for the Bears. Hermitage had three skills players with the speed to bum the Woodlawn defense on any given play, and the Hermits were playing with confidence after wining four games so far this season, which represents more victories than the program has seen over three previous seasons combined.But any chance Woodlawn may have overlooked Hermitage was apparently washed away when some of the Bears came across some social media posts that some of the Hermit players allegedly made during the days leading up to the game.The result: Woodlawn went full throttle from start to finish in a dominating 70-20 win.“All week on social media, some of those kids over there were talking about how they were gonna beat us bad, using some expletives and stuff,” Woodlawn Coach Doug Means said after the game. “You don’t say that kind of stuff to a team like this to give them motivation and, really, it motivated me a little more because I know what we’ve got and you don’t talk about us that way.”Bear quarterback Austin Saeler must have really taken it to heart. He ran for four touchdowns on 210 yards rushing, threw for 69 yards for another two more scores, and also had a long interception return for another TD.“These kids were motivated,” Means said. “I’m not saying they’re the most talented in the world, but mentally they want to win. Aid I saw that way back in June and the pieces are coming together. I appreciate the way these kids are playing.”Saeler set the tone early when he picked off Hermitage quarterback Carson Curtis’ pass on the opening series of the game and returned it 64 yards for a touchdown with 6:42 left in the first quarter. Fullback Ace Culliford ...