Bahamians Continue To Star at Rabun Gap

by RENALDO DORSETT

As the regular season continues for the Rabun Gap-Nacoochee Eagles football team, Bahamian players continue to excel on both sides of the ball for the small Presbyterian college prep school in Rabun County, Georgia.

Five games remain in the Carolinas Athletic Association season and the Eagles have posted a 5-1 record, with key contributions from Michael Bullard and Dwight Butler on offence and Donte McDonald defensively.

Bullard, a versatile senior continues to be a leader on both sides of the ball for the Eagles.

He has settled into the running back position after the graduation of fellow Bahamian Gerrio Rahming, and has established himself as the team’s leading rusher.

Bullard has gained 557 yards on 120 carried with an average of 4.6 yards per carry and eight touchdowns.

He also has 14 receptions for 137 yards.

Defensively, at linebacker, Bullard is fourth on the team with 43 tackles and has also recorded one interception.

His top performance of the year came in a 41-26 win over Cherokee, September 11, where he finished with five touchdowns.

The Eagles were sparked by Bullard’s 196 yards on 29 carries and 4 touchdowns.

Rabun Gap finished the game with 41 rushes for 310 yards

Bullard also caught an interception and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown.

He finished with 237 all-purpose yards.

Some of his other highlight performances include 103 yards and a touchdown in a 37-24 win over Thomas Jefferson Academy and 19 carries for 85 yards and two touchdowns against Metrolina Christian Academy.

He has finished with over 100 all-purpose yards in four of the six games thus far.

Against Thomas Jefferson he had a season-high 13 tackles, recorded nine against Metrolina Christian and seven tackles with one interception against Cherokee.

Bullard’s versatility emerged in his junior season where he played safety, on special teams as a return man and also offensively in the run game.

He caught four interceptions, recovered two fumbles and blocked three field goals.

Bullard was named the defensive player of the game two times and offensively, he has carried the ball 41 times for 209 yards.

Mcdonald, a sophomore lineman, plays both guard and defensive end.

He has totaled 28 tackles, two sacks and four quarterback hurries on the season.

Mcdonald was named the MaxPreps defensive player of the game for his performance against Thomas Jefferson where he finished with 11 tackles, four for a loss, one sack and one hurry.

He also added five tackles and one sack against Metrolina Christian.

Butler, a senior wide receiver, was hampered early in the season but has come on strong as a key component in the passing game the last two outings.

He had three catches for 53 yards against Metrolina Christian and four catches for 81 yards in the win over Thomas Jefferson.

As a junior, he finished with 27 catches for 381 yards and four touchdowns.

The Eagles will host the Anderson Cavaliers Friday October 10.

Rabun Gap has established a reputation as a pipeline for Bahamian student-athletes in recent years.

Last fall, Roger Cox the Associate Director of Admission and Athletics for the school, hosted a school fair in Nassau at the British Colonial Hilton.

The purpose of the fair was to attract and recruit potential student-athletes to the college preparatory day and boarding school.

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