Shane Holland would like to put Friday’s game behind him as quickly as possible, but Decatur’s coach will probably have a hard time forgetting the Bulldogs’ 10-4 4-2A Conference victory at Hartford.
10-4?
“Yes,” Holland said. “It happened.”
The Bulldogs (1-1, 1-0 4-2A) and the Beavers (0-2, 0-1) struggled to generate any momentum while playing at a rain-drenched Joe Scalet Stadium.
“It was very sloppy,” Hartford Coach Joe Hays said. “We had worked all week to get the field in good condition, but the rain just overtook us. … It looked good when we started, but it didn’t take long before it got rough.”
Hays said Hartford received 2 inches of rain on game day but that it had rained almost 4 inches the previous day.
“Mud can be a great equalizer,” Holland said. “It was a muddy, ugly game. If I have to watch it again I’m going to poke my eyes out with a sharp stick.”
Tony Mendoza scored all 10 of Decatur’s points, kicking a 29-yard field goal in the first quarter and tacking on the extra point after running in from 36 yards in the second quarter.
Then came the safeties. Shortly before halftime while attempting to punt, a bad snap forced Decatur to run through the back of the end zone. The Bulldogs led 10-2 at the half.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Decatur stopped a Hartford drive with an interception at the Bulldogs’ 2.
“On the next play, we didn’t block anybody,” Holland said. “We got tackled in the end zone.”
On Hartford’s ensuing possession, the Beavers had a receiver slip at the 10 for what Holland said was “going to be a certain touchdown.” Two plays later, Hartford fumbled and Decatur fell on the loose ball in the end zone.
“It was a close call,” Hays said. “I wasn’t on the goal line to watch it, but it was pretty close to being in the end zone before the fumble. It was heartbreaking for us.”
“We were lucky,” said Holland, whose team was 0-for-5 passing. “For a the longest time, I thought we were going to go into overtime.”
Mendoza, who normally plays wide receiver, wound up with 75 yards on five carries.
Sophomore Leng Lee led Decatur with 124 yards on 30 carries. Lee entered at quarterback after senior Victor Urquidi suffered an ankle injury on the third play of the game. Holland said Lee “did a very good job” but that he hopes Urquidi is able to return for Friday’s conference game at Mountainburg.
Senior quarterback Tomi Collin led Hartford with 60 yards on the ground. His younger brother, sophomore Robert Collins, had six receptions for 115 yards.
Holland said Friday’s unusual score wasn’t the first he has witnessed. Holland’s father, Ken Holland, was a coach at Ocala (Fla.) Vanguard High School when his team won 5-3 in a game played at the University of Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, which is known “The Swamp.”
MAGNET COVE
Balance pays off
Magnet Cove ran for 139 yards and passed for 132 in Friday’s 20-3 victory at Centerpoint.
That offensive balance paid off for the Panthers.
“We were balanced, and I like it that way,” said Magnet Cove Coach Ronnie Efird, whose team improved to 2-0. “It’s one of the reasons we were successful.”
Junior quarterback Harrison Wade completed 12 of 22 passes for 132 yards and wide receiver Jay Kelley caught a career-best 8 passes for 111 yards. Wade and Kelley hooked up for touchdown passes of 17 and 19 yards. Josh Smeltzer added a touchdown run and kicked two extra points.
Sophomore Zack Rednour intercepted two passes, giving him three for the year.
“We shut down their running game and forced them to pass,” Effird said. “The defense did a really good job.”
HAZEN
Linemen dominate
Hazen limited Clarendon to one first down in Friday’s 46-0 victory.
“Both our offensive and defensive lines played really well,” Hazen Coach Joe Besancon said. “Clarendon finished with negative yards, and the only first down they got came when we roughed their passer.”
Junior Logan Penn rushed 10 times for 105 yards and scored on two short runs as the Hornets (2-0) ran off to a 37-0 halftime lead.
“We’ve got three seniors and two juniors on the line, but they’ve all been three-year starters,” said Besancon, whose team finished with approximately 400 yards of total offense. “We’re doing a good job of controlling the line on both sides of the ball.”
Hazen travels to Osceola on Friday.
CEDAR RIDGE
Big results
Jordan Bumpous may be small, but Cedar Ridge Coach Danny Brustrom said the sophomore running back has come up big in the Timberwolves’ first two games.
Bumpous, 5-6, 125 pounds, ran 14 times for 203 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 36-16 victory over Rector as the Timberwolves (1-1) ended a 10-game losing streak. “He ran for most of his yardage in the first three quarters,” Brustrom said. “The counter play was open all night, and he’s so small that they had a hard time picking him up. He just had a great game, and I expect he’ll have more than 1,000 yards for us this year.”
Bumpous has 27 carries and 274 yards through 2 games, an average of 10.1 yards per carry.
Senior Chancey Stoner added 121 yards on 19 carries Friday, and Logan Young ran 12 times for 88 yards and 1 touchdown.
“This is year three for me,” Brustrom said. “We struggled my first year. We played better offensively, especially near the end of the season, last year. This year, we’re clicking on offense and the defense is getting better.”