BERRYVILLE -- The Decatur Bulldogs were on the road Sept. 2 to take on the Berryville Bobcats at Ronnie Clark Field in Berryville for the opening football game of the 2016 football season for both teams. From the opening play, it was obvious this was going to be a tough night for the Bulldogs.
With only a few seconds ticked off the clock in the first quarter, Berryville slipped past Decatur's defense for a touchdown. Adding a two-point conversion, Berryville was up 8 to 0.
Not to be outdone by Berryville, Decatur's Jimmy Mendoza ran 70 yards on Decatur's opening drive for a touchdown. However, a block in the back penalty against Decatur brought the ball back to the Decatur 15-yard line.
Decatur had 10 penalties in the first quarter alone, and Berryville capitalized on them by scoring three times. By the end of the first half, Berryville was up by 38 points.
In the second half, Berryville continued to pound the Bulldog defense, getting into the end zone for three touchdowns, a conversion, and a point after. It was over for the Decatur Bulldogs.
The only Bulldog score came early in the fourth quarter when running back Alex Lee took a hand off from Leng Lee at around the 40 yard line and ran the ball down to the two yard line. Leng Lee, on a quarterback keeper, ran the ball into the end zone for the touchdown. The point after kick was blocked by Berryville.
The Bobcats posted their first win of the 2016 regular season, 59 to 6.
The Bobcats effectively shut down the Bulldogs' ground game for the first three quarters. It was not until the early part of the fourth quarter that Decatur's offensive unit began to penetrate Berryville's defense. By that time, the Bulldogs had too much ground to make up, assuring a win for the Bobcats.
"We didn't play very well," said Shane Holland, Decatur's head football coach. "They had more experience on defense than we had on offense. When you start a senior, a freshman and three sophomores in the offensive line against a veteran team, its going to be a rough night."
The young Decatur defensive unit struggled to hold back the stronger and more experienced Bobcat unit, which was reflected in the 53-point spread.
"We didn't react very well to their offense," said Holland. "We have some inexperience in places on our defensive line and that cost us. We have work to do to get ready for next week's game, and I hope to see improvement in the offensive and defensive lines."
The Bulldogs will travel south to take on the Gentry Pioneers at 7 p.m. Sept. 9 in a nonconference game.
Sports on 09/07/2016