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Sweet Water dominates Cedar Bluff, clinches 1A title
The game, which was never in doubt from the first quarter on, proved to be one of total domination by the Bulldogs. The Sweet Water offense racked up 20 first downs and 343 total yards of offense including 245 yards rushing and 98 yards passing while the defense was holding the Tigers to nine first downs and only 78 yards of total offense including -24 rushing and 102 passing.
The Bulldog defense, which basically eliminated the Tiger ground game while stifling the vaunted passing of Purdue commitment Jamie Hampton, was led in tackles by Anthony Landrum with eight. Following him with six was Sophomore Tyrice Lockett while Junior Nakia Dennis, Dominic Holt and Senior Mike Robinson had four each. Hampton’s passing blues came from both ends as the Sweet Water defense sacked him three times and picked off three of his passes as well. Leading the sack attack was Dominic Holt, Anthony Landrum and Tyrice Lockett with one each. The interceptions came from Anthony Landrum, Drew Luker and Sophomore Demaraquis Williams.
Following the punt the Bulldog offense garnered one first down before being forced to punt the ball back to Cedar Bluff. Antonio Landrum’s punt traveled 55 yards down to the Cedar Bluff 16 effectively flipping the field position.
Drew Luker and company wasted little time taking advantage of the Tiger turnover putting it in the end zone in two plays, using only 15 seconds off the clock. Dominic Holt finished the two-play drive with a one-yard plunge for the touchdown. His score was set up by a 32-yard pass from Luker to Scottie Nelson that ended at the one. Ty Glass tacked on the extra-point and the Bulldogs led 7-0 with 3:23 remaining in the first quarter. The Bulldog defense stepped up big again on the next Cedar Bluff series when Anthony Landrum picked off another Hampton pass at the Cedar Bluff 34 with 1:40 left in the first quarter.
On Cedar Bluff’s next possession the tenacious Bulldog defense put the Tiger offense in reverse setting them back from their 26 yard line to the 11 in three downs. From there a short 25 yard punt put the Bulldogs in possession of the ball at the Tiger 36 yard line with yet another short field before them. Dominic Holt pounded it in from four yards out this time to complete a four play Bulldog drive that covered the 36 yards to pay dirt. On the third of the four plays Luker hooked up with Nelson on a 20-yard pass that carried to the four. Ty Glass added the extra-point following Holt’s score and the Sweet Water lead stood at 21-0 with 6:53 remaining in the second quarter. The Bulldogs got another chance to add to their lead late in the quarter when Cedar Bluff failed to convert on a fourth and two at their own 45 turning the ball over on downs to the Bulldogs with :45 remaining before halftime. The opportunistic Bulldogs took advantage of the last minute opportunity, scoring on another Drew Luker to Antonio Landrum touchdown pass with this one covering 25 yards and coming with :11 remaining on the second quarter clock. The Bulldogs got into position for the pass when Luker ran 20 yards on a keeper to the Tiger 25. Ty Glass nailed the extrapoint and the Bulldogs were on top 28-0 at the break. It was the Bulldog offense that set the tone for the second half when they took their opening possession and drove it 58 yards in 2:57 on eight running plays to add to their lead. Anthony Landrum finished off the drive barreling in from four yards out with 8:53 remaining in the third period. Ty Glass split the uprights again and Sweet Water led 35-0. With the Bulldog defense continuing their dominance over the Tigers the Sweet Water offense got the ball back with 2:16 remaining in the quarter and took off on another classic wing-t drive. Keeping it on the ground to burn time off the clock, the Bulldogs drove 63 yards in 12 plays for a score. Dominic Holt picked up his third touchdown of the day to finish the drive blasting in from two yards out. Ty Glass made it six in a row and the Bulldogs led 42-0 with 8:08 to play in the fourth quarter. The Bulldog offense hardly had time to get a drink of water before they found themselves back on the field again when Drew Luker intercepted a Cedar Bluff pass on the first play following the kickoff. Luker who leaped high to pull the errant pass down returned it to the Tiger 47-yard line. From there the Bulldog offense took care of business again driving the ball 47 yards to the end zone on nine running plays. Johnny Lockett scored what would be the final points of the game on a nine-yard scamper with 3:46 remaining in the game. Ty Glass missed the extra-point attempt making the final score 48-0. As is the case with any great fete in athletics, winning a state championship is the culmination of a lot of hard work and dedication. For the Bulldogs who finished the season with a 14-1 record including 14 straight wins following a season opening loss to traditional rival Thomasville, it all began back in November 2005 when a second round playoff loss to Brantley left the Bulldogs feeling incomplete. From there the determination to make it back to the top carried them through all the off season workouts, spring practice, summer weight training and the dog days of August practice. It continued through a fall jamboree, 10 weeks of regular season games and now five weeks of playoffs. But with all said and done that focus and investment of time for over a year now has produced fruit. For the seniors Chris Adams, Ty Glass, Dominic Holt, Josh Hudson, Jacques Lockett, Paul Lynn, Mike Robinson and Jeremy Tucker, it’s a great way to end a high school career. As for the balance of the squad it has the potential of being the first step in yet another climb to the pinnacle of success in high school football in Alabama next season.
For the fans and supporters of the Sweet Water Bulldogs it’s time to understand and appreciate how special this accomplishment is and to say thanks for a job well done to those coaches and players, who have worked so hard and performed so well.
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