Decatur celebrates playoff berth


The Bulldogs took the field for Friday’s game against the Magazine Rattlers. Decatur won the game 22-7.
The Bulldogs took the field for Friday’s game against the Magazine Rattlers. Decatur won the game 22-7.

— The walls and roof of the tiny Decatur dressing room shook as players whooped and hollered.

The Bulldogs partied like it was 1997, and with good reason. Decatur is headed to the playoffs for the first time in 15 seasons.

Decatur had already secured its post-season ticket before Friday’s 22-7 win against Magazine, but there was still plenty at stake, like earning a No. 4 seed from the 2A-4, but more importantly, securing a winning season.

The Bulldogs (6-4, 5-3 2A-4) will board what coach Shane Holland dubbed “the Yellow Dog Express” and travel to take on Murfreesboro, the No. 2 seed from the 2A-7.

Even after the game, Holland sometimes struggled to put into words how far the Decatur program has come in the two seasons he’s been the coach.

“You tell them when you come into a place new like this that hasn’t had anysuccess that if you believe, that if you put the work in, and the effort and the time, that it’s going to get better,” Holland said. “You know there have been tough times, but these nine seniors have bought in.”

The nine seniors have seen the toughest of times at Decatur. Players like Evan Owens and Elijah McIver have seen the program struggle with few players and even fewer wins.

“I knew that we could do this,” Owens said. “We’ve worked hard and I knew eventually we’d get there. When Coach Holland came here, we were pushed hard and we knew what he was trying to do.”

The senior class meshed well with a talented group of underclassmen, led by sophomore quarterback Victor Urquidi, who had three touchdown passes Friday night, including two to his twin brother, Mario Urquidi.

That combination raised the expectation for the program, which suffered back-to-back blowout losses to Hackett andMountainburg, but closed strong.

“When I was a sophomore, I felt sorry for the seniors,” McIver said. “I honestly thought then that that was how my senior year was going to end for me. Just a one-win season.”

The Bulldogs struggled for most of Friday’s game before two fourth quarter touchdowns gave them some breathing room.

A lot of that had to do with a Magazine team that was fighting for its playoff lives. The Rattlers (4-6, 4-4) led 7-0 on Jonathan Travis’ first quarter touchdown after Decatur fumbled the opening kickoff.

But the loss ended Magazine’s season.

While the win and playoff berth are special for this year’s team, Decatur superintendent Larry Ben said the team’s rise has been a huge boost to the entire community.

“It makes the school year go real well when you’re having success on the ballfield or on the court,” Ben said. “So it’s good for morale, for the kids and the teachers, but also the community.

Sports, Pages 11 on 11/07/2012