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Sweet Water ends 10-year drought
For the nine seniors on the Sweet Water team, many of whom have been starting for the Bulldogs since their eighth grade year, the win was especially sweet. The win was significant for the entire 2007 squad as well because it put them in a very elite group as one of only two Sweet Water teams to defeat the Tigers in the past 23 years and one of only ten to do so in the 64 year history of the rivalry. In the game itself the Bulldogs won the opening coin toss and elected to defer to the second half. Neither team could sustain anything in their first four possessions with the both teams fumbling in their first possession and stopping themselves in their second series of downs.
After stopping the Bulldogs on their next possession the Tigers appeared to be on their way to extending the lead when they drove the ball from their own 27 yard line to the Bulldog 13 only to fumble away the opportunity with 5:27 remaining before halftime. From there the Bulldogs wasted no time in getting the ball back to near the mid-field stripe with quarterback Drew Luker breaking the first play following the turnover up to the Sweet Water 44. The drive stalled out there however and the Bulldogs punted the ball away. The Tiger safety muffed the punt and the Bulldogs fell on it giving the offense excellent field position at the Thomasville 20 yard line.
The joy that had found its way to the Tiger sideline with the interception was short lived swapping sides back to the Bulldogs on the first snap as the Tigers once again fumbled and the alert Bulldogs fell on it at the Tiger 15. From there the Bulldogs took advantage of the opportunity when Drew Luker scampered in from 11 yards out to knot the score at 6 - 6. Scottie Nelson added the extrapoint and the Bulldogs had taken the lead at 7 - 6 with :52 remaining the first half clock. That's the way it would remain as the teams retired to the locker room with the Bulldogs holding the momentum.
Following the Bulldog score the teams swapped fumbles on their next possessions with the Tigers retrieving the ball the last time at their 12 yard line. From there the Tigers launched a long drive that ended in a one yard plunge by Roya Campbell with 2:47 remaining in the third period. Harrison Lewis tacked on the extra-point and the game was tied at 13 - 13. The Bulldogs didn't let it stay that way long taking their next possession and driving 67 yards to pay dirt. Drew Luker ended the drive with his second touchdown of the night barreling in from five yards out. Nelson boomed the extra-point through and Sweet Water was on top 20 - 13 with 11:37 remaining in the game. The Tigers, needing to respond to the Bulldogs' score, appeared to be on their way to doing so when they quickly moved the ball from their on 33 yard line to inside the Bulldog 30. Unfortunately for the Tigers the drive stalled there and the Bulldogs took over on downs at the 29. After getting the ball back the Bulldogs seized the moment pounding the ball back into Tiger territory looking for another score to seal the victory. In the drive a nice run by Drew Luker followed by a 15 yard personal foul penalty gave the Bulldogs a first and goal at the Tiger nine with a little over five minutes remaining in the game. The Bulldogs pounded it into the one where they faced a fourth and goal situation. There the Tiger defense rose up holding the Bulldogs out of the end zone taking over at the one some 99 yards away from a touchdown and extra-point that would tie the game again. It was not to be for the Tigers though for on third down the Bulldog defense sacked Thomasville quarterback Daniel Rogers causing another fumble that Tyrice Lockett fell on in the end zone for a Bulldog touchdown. Scottie Nelson was on the mark again with the extra-point and the Sweet Water lead was 27 - 13 with 2:25 remaining in the game. A last ditch effort by the Tigers ended in Bulldog territory when Antonio Landrum picked off a Daniel Rogers pass with 1:28 to play leaving the final at 27 - 13. Leading the victorious Bulldogs' ground game, which accounted for 205 yards of the team's 242 yards of total offense, were; Anthony Landrum with 130 yards on 22 carries and Drew Luker with 74 yards on 14 carries. In the air Drew Luker was 4 of 8 for 37 yards with one interception. Antonio Landrum was the leading Bulldog receiver making two catches for 24 yards. Another Bulldog who contributed greatly to the offensive effort was Damaraquis Williams with 116 all purpose yards. On defense Delano Brewer led the way for the Bulldogs recording 12 tackles and recovering one fumble. Nakia Dennis was next with 11 tackles, one sack and two fumbles caused. Antonio Landrum followed Dennis with 10 tackles, a fumble recovery and a pass interception. Others who stepped up big were; Anthony Landrum with a recovery of the muffed punt, Tyrice Lockett a fumble recovery, Trey McIntosh with two fumble recoveries, and Devin Wolf with a fumble recovery. Offensive rushing leaders for the Tigers, who had 311 total yards of offense in a losing effort, included Roya Campbell with 94 yards on 17 carries and James White with 63 yards on four carries. In the air Daniel Rogers was 13 of 19 for 151 yards with a touchdown and one interception. On the receiving end of Rogers' aerials was Tysean Thompson with seven catches for 101 yards and a touchdown and Shed Simmons with four catches for 58 yards. Defensively the Tigers were led by Katrell Watters with 10 tackles followed by Alex Buford and Jarell Watters with seven tackles each. A happy Sweet Water Bulldog Head Coach, Stacy Luker was very complimentary of his players in the big win. "I am extremely proud of our guys," Luker said. "I thought we played hard and gave a great effort all night. I thought we showed a lot of resiliency and got stronger as the game went along. To win a game against a good team like Thomasville you have to have great effort, play very physical and have a few things go your way. And I feel like that is exactly what happened." Thomasville Head Coach Jack Hankins, naturally disappointed in the loss, had some mixed feelings about the game. "Anytime you turn the ball over eight times you are putting yourself in a position to lose," Hankins said. "When you do that against an outstanding football team like Sweet Water the problem is compounded. I thought both teams played hard and very physical and I was proud of our kids for the effort they gave and the way they never gave up all the way to the end. We've just got to get up off the floor now and work on getting better every week." Both teams move into regional play this week with the Bulldogs traveling to Akron to take on the Rams who Coach Stacy Luker believe will be somewhat improved over last year because of the athletes they have coming back and the fact that they have the same coach for another year, which is something they haven't had in recent history. The Tigers will be hosting the Hillcrest of Evergreen Jaguars, who Coach Jack Hankins believe are much improved over last season. His assertion is based on the fact that Coach Maurice Belser has had time to get his system in place now and all the young but talented players they had last season are back and a year older.
Kick off for both games is set for 7:00 PM.
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