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'Dogs pummel Purple Cats
The Sweet Water Bulldogs overcame a slow start and three turnovers to defeat the Ariton Purple Cats 49-7 in the second round playoff game between the two squads this past Friday, November 17. In the game which was played in Sweet Water the Bulldog offense ran up 356 yards of offense including 278 yards on the ground and 78 in the air. The defense on the other hand held the Ariton offense to only 122 yards. Things didn't look good for the Bulldogs in the early going with the offense losing the ball on a fumble in both of their first two possessions. Ariton wasted little time taking advantage of the first turnover when James Edmond scored from three yards out to give the Purple Cats the early lead. Justin Masters tacked on the extra-point and Ariton was on top 7-0 with 4:06 remaining in the first quarter. Bouncing back, the Bulldogs took their third possession of the game and converted it into points when Dominic Holt barreled in from four yards out with 2:15 registering on the first quarter clock. Ty Glass added the extra-point and the game was tied at 7-7.
With the ship apparently righted, the second quarter belonged to the Bulldogs as they struck pay dirt three times during the period. The first score came with 9:21 to play in the quarter when Drew Luker bolted 34 yards for a touchdown. Glass drilled the extra-point and the Bulldogs led 21-7. Anthony Landrum was next, scoring his second touchdown of the game when he darted six yards into the end zone. Glass split the up rights and the Sweet Water lead was 28-7 with 4:05 remaining in the quarter. The Sweet Water special teams got in on the act just before halftime when Paul Lynn broke through the Purple Cat punt protection and blocked a punt giving the Bulldogs excellent field position for one more run at the goal line before intermission. The offense didn't let the opportunity pass them by punching it in on a four-yard plunge by Dominic Holt with 1:48 left to play before halftime. Glass' kick was true and the Bulldogs took a 35-7 lead into the locker room. There was not near as much scoring activity in the second half as both defenses seemed to settle in and the Sweet Water offense with a 28 point lead became more methodical. The Bulldogs did manage to add two more touchdowns in the second half scoring once in both the third and fourth quarters. The first came with 7:12 to play in the third stanza when Drew Luker scored his second touchdown of the game on a one yard run. Glass hit the mark and the Sweet Water lead was 42-7. Anthony Landrum capped the scoring in the game slashing in from 10 yards out with 10:42 to play in the fourth quarter. Glass made it a perfect 7 for 7 on extra-points and the Bulldog lead stood at 49-7. Leading the charge on the ground for the Bulldogs was Anthony Landrum with 112 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries. He was followed by Dominic Holt with 100 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries and Drew Luker with 35 yards and two touchdowns on three carries. In the air Drew Luker was 3 for 6 for 78 yards. Leading receivers were; Heath Hill with one catch for 38 yards and Travis Young with one catch for 35 yards. Over on defense the Bulldogs were led by Jacques Lockett and Drew Luker with seven tackles each followed by Wes Burnett and Devin Wolf with five apiece. Burnett and Wolf also picked up two sacks while Luker had two interceptions. In evaluating his teams' performance against Ariton, Sweet Water Coach Stacy Luker had this to say. "I was proud of the intensity our team played with Friday night and the way we overcame some adversity early in the game. I thought our offensive and defensive lines controlled the line of scrimmage." With the second round now under their belt the Bulldogs who are 10-1 will be hosting the Sunshine Tigers who are 8-3 and very familiar to them, being a member of Region 4 along with Sweet Water. The Tigers defeated the Wadley Bulldogs 16-14 last week to earn a spot in the quarterfinal match-up with Sweet Water. "Sunshine is coming off the biggest win in their school's history," Coach Stacy Luker said. "We know they are big, fast and very athletic and will play us hard. We need to stay focused and play a complete game against them." The game between the Bulldogs and Tigers is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff on Friday, November 24, at Nolan Atkins Stadium in Sweet Water.
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