Bowling Green got down 14-0 for the second-straight week, but this time, they came all of the way back and the Bucs were victorious over Centreville Academy, 45-28, in Friday’s home game.

“We’ve got to get back to the basics in doing the small things right. We kind of got away from that and that’s my fault. I take the blame for that,” Bowling Green coach Boomer Nunez said. “That won’t happen again. We’ll get back to the small things and make sure we can do the big things because the small things are being done right.”

Johntae McDowell had a big night, running for 231 yards and three touchdowns and passing for another.

“Leader on-and-off the field,” Nunez said. “One of those guys that nobody hates him. He’s just loved by everybody — teachers, classmates, everybody. He’s a leader on the field. He takes charge when he needs to take it and he takes over games. When we’re struggling, he takes over offensively to help us defensively.”

Bowling Green trailed 14-0 halfway through the first quarter. Centreville’s Tyler Thomassie hooked up with Cody Brashier to make it 6-0 after the opening drive. The two-point conversion was no good.

Bowling Green fumbled and Centreville recovered on the ensuing possession and Daniel Vine tallied on a 2-yard run and then converted for two and it was 14-0 with 5:59 left in the first period.

“Just coming in, to be honest, we didn’t start out the way we planned to, but anything can happen, so I told them to keep playing, keep balling, keep playing their heart out and we was going to come out on top and that’s what we did,” McDowell said.

It stayed that way until early in the second quarter when Steven Cooper returned a punt 70 yards up the left sideline. Gage Winget hit the extra point to make it 14-7 with 10:44 left in the half.

Vine ran for a 53-yard score 19 seconds later for a 20-7 lead after the two-point conversion was unsuccessful.

Bowling Green pulled closer when Cameron Bell ran 6 yards on fourth down and Winget was good on the extra point to make it 20-14 with 7:28 to go.

Bowling Green took its first lead when Johntae McDowell hooked up with Rashaaan Duke for an 18-yard score and Winget put the extra point through to put the Buccaneers up, 21-20, at the 4:01 mark.

But Centreville went back in front 28-21 with 19.6 seconds left in the half on Thomassie’s 1-yard sneak and Vine’s two-point conversion.

Bowling Green came back quickly. The Bucs took over at their own 43. McDowell connected with Bell to Centreville’s 46. Bowling Green then moved into field-goal range when McDowell threw to Cade Knight. Knight lateraled to Duke, who was tackled at the 11. Winget came on and nailed a 28-yard field goal and the Bucs were down just 28-24 at halftime.

The second half belonged to Bowling Green, who outscored Centreville, 21-0.

McDowell scored all three touchdowns. The first came at the 6:41 mark of the third period on a 23-yard run that gave the Bucs the lead for good. The extra point was no good, but the score had the Buccaneers up 30-28.

He scored again with 43 seconds left and hooked up with Knight for two points and a 38-28 lead.

McDowell made it three possessions on a 57-yard run with 9:23 left in the fourth quarter and that gave the Bucs a 45-28 lead as Winget hit the extra point and 45-28 was the final.

Larry Dillon also had a big night running the ball, going for 121 yards.

Bowling Green is 5-1 this season. The Bucs will hit the road to face Central Private School on Friday.