Sweet Water takes care of McKenzie

PHOTO BY JOHNNY AUTERY Ty Morgan gains yards after the catch for Sweet Water Friday night. The Sweet Water Bulldogs picked up a 42 - 6 win over the McKenzie Tigers in the second round of the AHSAA State Playoffs this past Friday, November 13 to push their season mark to 11 - 1 and set up a third round matchup with the 10 - 1 Loachapoka Indians who defeated Maplesville 18 - 12 in the second round Friday night. Playing at home in Nolan Atkins Stadium, the Bulldogs piled up 359 total yards of offense while holding the Tigers to 183 yards.

"Although I don't think we played as well overall Friday as we have the past couple of weeks, the name of the game this time of year is simply to advance," Sweet Water Head Coach Stacy Luker said. "There were a couple of bright spots however. Our offense only had 42 offensive snaps and scored on five of them which is pretty efficient. And over on defense we had a great goal line stand on their first offensive possession which set the tone for the rest of the night."

Leading the charge on defense for the Bulldogs was Delano Brewer with 14 tackles, Laderius Dumas and Devann White with 10 tackles each, and Cy Newton with nine tackles. In other big defensive plays Delano Brewer had two tackles for a loss, recorded one sack and caused a fumble while Jul Gaines recovered a fumble for a touchdown.

On offense the Bulldog rushing attack was led by Jeremy Landrum with 113 yards and one touchdown on nine carries and Johnny Lockett with 108 yards on 12 carries. In the air Brett Davis was 2 for 4 for 40 yards and one touchdown. On the receiving end of Davis' aerials was Linc Luker with one catch for 23 yards and one touchdown and Ty Morgan with one catch for 17 yards. In the kicking game Hunter Mayton was a perfect 6 for 6 on extra-points.

In the game, neither team was able to get on the scoreboard in the first quarter as the defenses made it tuff going early. Sweet Water did manage to break the 0 - 0 deadlock early in the second quarter when Brett Davis connected with Linc Luker on a 23 yard touchdown pass with 11:35 to play in the frame. The scoring play culminated a 99 yard drive that ate up most of the first quarter. Hunter Mayton added the extra-point and the Bulldogs led 7 - 0.

The Bulldogs increased it to a two touchdown lead with 5:00 remaining in the second period when Jeremy Landrum scampered in from 22 yards out. Hunter Mayton tacked on the extrapoint and Sweet Water led 14 - 0.

The Bulldog defense got in on the act next when Jul Gaines scooped up a McKenzie fumble and raced 45 yards to pay dirt with 3:59 left before intermission. Hunter Mayton nailed the extra-point and the Bulldogs had a 21 - 0 lead that they would take to the halftime locker room.

The Bulldogs struck again with 9:27 to play in the third quarter when Chris Landrum rambled 40 yards for a touchdown on a punt return. Hunter Mayton split the uprights and the Sweet Water lead stood at 28 - 0.

McKenzie cut into the lead at the 2:34 remaining in the third quarter on a 39 yard touchdown pass. The extra-point was no good but the Bulldog lead had been cut to 28 - 6.

Chris Landrum picked up his second touchdown of the night when he bulled his way in from one yard out with 10:00 to play in the fourth quarter. Hunter Mayton was on target and the Sweet Water lead had swelled to 35 - 6.

The final nail in the Tiger coffin came with 6:20 remaining in the game when Michael Thompson blasted his way in from three yards out. Hunter Mayton made it a perfect 6 for 6 on extra-points and the Bulldogs had their 42 - 6 final.

Up next, the Bulldogs, as stated above, will be playing host to the Loachapoka Indians in the third round of the 1A AHSAA State Playoffs. "Loachapoka is 10 - 1 with their only loss coming against 2A Reeltown who is still in the 2A playoffs", Coach Stacy Luker said. "They are big, fast, and athletic on both sides of the ball. Their size and athleticism will present a problem for us this week. We really need to play great to win."

The game between the Sweet Water Bulldogs and the Loachapoka Indians is scheduled for this Friday, November 20, at Nolan Atkins Stadium in Sweet Water with the kickoff set for 7:00 PM.