Decatur Bulldogs defeated by Eagles

— The Decatur Bulldogs fell to the Conway Christian Eagles 49-8, in a non-conference game in Conway Friday night.

The game improved the Eagles’ record to 4-2 in season play and 2-1 in conference play. Meanwhile, Decatur dropped to 1-5 overall and 1-3 in conference play.

“It was a hard gameand we gave up some really big plays. Offensively we moved the ball much better than we have in the past, but then we did some things to shoot ourselves in the foot,” said Decatur head coach Shane Holland.

The Bulldogs had three possessions in the first quarter, but killed three straight drives with penalties and turnovers. By halftime, Conway Christian had taken a strong lead, making a touchdown onthe last play of the first half for a score of 28-0. The Eagles went on to score again on the opening kickoff of the second half, making the score an insurmountable 35-0.

The Bulldogs finally got a chance to score in the fourth quarter when junior wide receiver Andrew Harris caught a 13-yard pass for a touchdown. Senior quarterback Evan Owens ran the conversion.

Junior offensive lineman Rigo Lara was named player of the week. Lara ran the power play very well and was the team’s lead blocker, Holland said.

The Bulldogs will face the more evenly matched Western Yell County Wolverines, with a record of 0-6, in a 4-2A conference game at Havana on Friday.

Decatur’s undefeated junior high team had an open schedule last week. They will face Western Yell County at home on Thursday.

Community News, Pages 9 on 10/12/2011