DECATUR -- The Decatur Bulldogs faced one of their toughest opponents thus far in the 2016 season when they hosted the Hackett Hornets at Bulldog Stadium in Decatur on Friday night.
The Hornets went into this game undefeated and hold the number two spot in the 2A 4West district conference, behind Danville. The Bulldogs were tied with Western Yell County (their opponent for homecoming Oct. 21) for seventh place.
The game started slow as both teams failed to find the end zone in the opening seven minutes of the first quarter. But the Hornets struck gold and scored the first six points of the ball game. A two-point conversion play on a handoff by the Hackett quarterback made it an 8-0 Hornet ball game.
On the first play of the next possession, Decatur quarterback Leng Lee passed to Taylor Haisman, resulting in a 70 yard run into the end zone for a Bulldog touchdown. Jimmy Mendoza's extra point attempt connected, giving the Hornets a one point lead, 8 to 7. Three minutes later, the Hornets ran for another touchdown and two-point conversion, making the score 16 to 7.
Just as Decatur did in the earlier touchdown series, Mendoza, on a handoff by Lee, found an opening around the 50 yard line, resulting in another Bulldog touchdown. Mendoza's extra point kick hit its mark, pulling the Bulldogs to within two points. As the first quarter came to a close, the Hornets held a slim lead over the Bulldogs, 16 to 14. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the Hornets went on the attack and stung the Bulldogs the remainder of the game.
Three long passes deep into Decatur territory by the Hackett quarterback gave the Hornets a commanding lead in the second quarter, and a hard-hitting Hackett defense held Decatur scoreless. The Hornets went into the halftime break with a 44-14 lead over the Bulldogs.
The third quarter looked like a repeat of the previous one with the Hornets scoring two more touchdowns and a two point conversion to make the score 58 to 14, Hornets. However, with less than two minutes remaining, a pass by Lee to Troy Kell resulted in a 50 yard run into the end zone for Decatur's third touchdown of the night. Mendoza's point after made it a 58-21 contest going into the final quarter.
The only score in the quarter came on a quarterback keeper by Lee, making it a 58-27 Hackett game. The Bulldogs' attempt at a two point conversion failed, and the Hackett Hornets continued their undefeated season with a big win over the Decatur Bulldogs.
The Decatur Bulldogs are now 0 and 3 in conference play and 0 and 5 overall going into the final half of the season. But the Bulldogs were a much improved team, scoring nearly triple what they had in previous games. This holds promise for the Bulldogs as they play both Westside and Western Yell County (teams that share a 0 and 3 conference record) in the next two games. For Coach Shane Holland, the Bulldogs put up a strong fight against the superior Hackett Hornets.
"I thought we played very well and I am very proud of the way the team performed," said Holland. "We played hard the first half, with the offense and special teams making several good plays that helped us. The defense made a couple of mistakes but, overall, I think they did well. We played a really good team that could take you out of the game early and that is what happened to us. But, overall, I am happy with our performance tonight."
The junior high team played in an earlier game and were defeated by the Hornets.
The Bulldogs will be on the road Oct. 14 as they travel to Coal Hill to take on the Westside Rebels in another conference matchup. Game starts at 5 p.m.
Sports on 10/12/2016