After the traditional postgame singing of the alma mater, the costume–clad marching band and dance squad serenaded Dreher coach Bill Bacon with a spirited rendition of happy birthday.

While nice, Bacon received the best gift a coach could ask for moments earlier: a playoff–berth–earning victory and a one–week career extension.

The Blue Devils (3–7, 2–3) rolled past Swansea, 35–14, in the regular–season finale to earn the fourth and last playoff berth in Region 5–3A. While a road game against Marlboro County, the top–ranked Class 3A team, awaits in this week’s first round, the Blue Devils focused instead on the team’s first playoff berth since 2006.

“That year we had six seniors, and I remember them telling us to keep working hard, and we’d get back again,” said Sheldon Van Dyke, who once again lived up to his nickname “bowling ball” by running over and through Swansea defenders in short–yardage situations en route to 61 yards rushing. “It took a little longer than we expected, but we got there.”

The Blue Devils got there because senior after senior – Dreher honored 21 before the game – delivered big plays in support of Bacon, who had told the team after a loss to Airport (Oct. 23) that he was resigning as coach at the season’s conclusion.

The seniors on the defensive line and linebacker corps flushed Swansea quarterback Dalton Reynolds from the pocket and tackled him for a loss on a fourth–and–16 at the 21 midway through the first quarter, preventing Swansea from scoring first.

Van Dyke, whose twin, Shane, was one of those linebackers, capped the ensuing 11–play drive with a 4–yard touchdown.

Midway through the second quarter senior quarterback Jackson Edwards executed a fake handoff on a naked bootleg so well that he was halfway through his 14–yard scoring run before Swansea’s defenders realized he had the ball.

With Swansea driving on the subsequent possession, senior Rashon Fenderson returned an interception 75 yards to make the score 21–0.

“I was playing zone and playing off him,” Fenderson said. “The receiver had it, but the ball bounced up. I just grabbed it away from him, broke a tackle and ran.”

“That interception was the game right there,” senior Farrington Huguenin said. “They didn’t have as much fight after that.”

Three plays later, Huguenin blocked a punt, giving Dreher the ball back at the 15 to set up the first of senior Leonard Kennedy’s two touchdowns – a 12–yard run.

“We felt confident we could run all night,” said Kennedy who finished with 128 yards in three quarters. “It feels good being back in playoffs. I want to put the team on my back and carry us. We got this far; now we need to work hard this week and try to keep it going.”

Though Swansea scored on drives of 11 and 13 plays in the second half, they were the Tigers’ only possessions after halftime.

In addition to Kennedy, Huguenin rushed for 49 yards and Shane Van Dyke added 57. Seniors Matthew Finethy and Justin Etheridge also carried once.