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Bulldogs maul Panthers with 61-22 first round rout

Michael Clements , , , , , , , , ,

The Sweet Water Bulldogs lit up the scoreboard with 40 points in the first quarter against the visiting J.F. Shields Panthers. When the dust cleared, the Bulldogs claimed a 61-22 first round playoff victory.

The opening kickoff fell in the hands of Michael Alan Cole got a 17 yard return to the Panthers’ 48-yard line. Jaland Lewis Horton took the first offensive play of the night to the 3 and punched it in on the next play at the 11:34 mark of the opening quarter. Walker Thompson’s PAT gave the Dawgs a 7-0 lead.

11-6-2020 — Sweet Water, Ala. — Bulldog Michael Alan Cole (78) gets a grip on a Panther ball carrier, as Tyler Ward (65) closes in, during Sweet Water’s 61-22 first round playoff win over J.F. Shields. (Photo by Johnny Autery)

Following a failed fourth down conversion attempt by the Panthers on their opening possession that gave the Bulldogs the ball at the Panther 27-yard line, Lashon Young took his only carry of the night into the end zone. The one play drive and Thompson PAT gave the Dawgs a 14-0 lead with 10:13 to go in the first quarter.

The Panthers’s second possession ended with a short punt, with the Bulldogs starting at the Panthers’ 28-yard line, following a 10-yard penalty on the Dawgs. After an offside penalty moved the ball to the 23 and one incomplete pass, Horton added his second touchdown on a 23-yard run at the 8:00 minute mark, still in the first quarter. Thompson’s PAT increased the Bulldog lead to 21-0.

The Panthers’ ensuing possession ended when the Dawgs’ Jamarlin Albert recovered a fumble at the Panthers’ 19-yard line. Three plays later, Christian Dunning ran it in from 12-yards out. Thompson’s PAT put the Bulldogs up 28-0 with 6:42 still to go in the first quarter.

11-6-2020 — Sweet Water, Ala. — Bulldog Jalan Lewis Horton (1) stops a Panther ball carrier, as Michael Alan Coles assists, during Sweet Water’s 61-22 first round playoff win over J.F. Shields. (Photo by Johnny Autery)

The Panthers’ ensuing possession ended on another failed fourth down conversion attempt at their own 24-yard line. Following a couple penalties on the Bulldogs, Young hauled in a Thompson pass for a 35-yard touchdown. The PAT failed, giving the Dawgs a 34-0 lead with 2:46 remaining in the first quarter.

Jaden Lewis picked off a pass at the Bulldog 46-yard line on the Panthers’ ensuing possession. After a Horton 6-yard run, Dunning added his second touchdown run of the night with a 48-yard at the 1:37 mark of the first quarter. The PAT failed, leaving the Dawgs with a 40-0 lead over the Panthers.

The Panthers finally got on the board at the 3:41 mark of the second quarter when they returned a Bulldog fumble for a touchdown. The failed 2-point try left the Bulldogs with a 40-6 lead.

The Bulldogs answered a little over a minute later. Cole returned the ensuing Panther kickoff to the Panther 40. After a 18-yard run by Deshanard Blanks and 21-yard run by Devonte Blanks, Delvontae Lucy cashed in with a 1-yard run. Williams Etheridge hit the PAT and the Bulldogs lead stretched to 47-6 with 2:26 to go in the first half, and would remain that score when the half ended.

11-6-2020 — Sweet Water, Ala. — Bulldog Walker Thompson runs in the open field as a flag flies in the background during Sweet Water’s 61-22 first round playoff win over the J.F. Shields Panthers. (Photo by Johnny Autery)

The scoring slowed a bit in the second half with the Panthers scoring eight points and the Bulldogs scoring seven points in each of the remaining quarters. The Bulldogs’ Deshanard Blanks scored at the 3:32 mark of the third quarter on an 8-yard run. Thompson’s PAT gave the Dawgs a 54-6 lead. The Panthers answered back with a 75-yard touchdown pass at the :49 mark of the third quarter and tacked on a 2-point conversion to bring the score to 54-14 in favor of the Dawgs. In the fourth quarter, Elliot Lucy scored on a 31-yard run and Cody Carden tacked on the PAT, giving the Bulldogs a 61-14 lead. The Panthers closed out the scoring with a 34-yard touchdown pass with :34 remaining in the game. The Panthers added a 2-point conversion for the final score of 61-22, in favor of the Bulldogs.

Working with a short field on most possessions, the Dawgs tallied 61 points on just 360 yards of total offense, with no single player amassing more than 84 yards of individual yardage stats. Thompson completed one pass to Young for 35 yards and it was a touchdown. Horton led the rushing stats with two touchdowns and 84 yards on six carries. Dunning totaled two touchdowns and 60 yards on two carries. Devonte Blanks had two carries for 49 yards. Deshanard Blanks had one touchdown and 42 yards on five carries. Elliot Lucy had one touchdown and 41 yards on four carries and Young had one carry for a 27-yard touchdown. Caleb Dixon had two carries for eight yards and Delvontae Lucy had one touchdown and seven yards on five carries.

The Bulldogs will host the Notasulga Blue Devils next week in the second round of the 2020 AHSAA state football playoffs. Notasulga defeated Florala 32-30 in their first round matchup.