DECATUR — The bleachers were full to near capacity on both sides of Bulldog Stadium as the Decatur Bulldogs took on the visiting Gentry Pioneers in a nonconference game in Decatur Sept. 9.
Fans from Decatur and Gentry spilled out of the bleachers and lined the fence as the Bulldogs and the 4A Pioneers took the field ready to play football.
Also on hand for its first outing of the season was the Decatur Bulldog marching band under the direction of Jesse Owens and Ryan Shaffer, drum major. The Bulldog band, along with its counterpart from Gentry, provided an excellent halftime show that kept the crowd spellbound.
From the start, it became apparent that this was not going to be an easy night for the Bulldogs. The Pioneers scored a touchdown on the opening possession, and a two-point conversion by Gentry quarterback Jon Faulkenberry made it an 8-0 game.
A punt by Gentry deep into the end zone was received by Decatur running back Jimmy Mendoza. Making a rookie mistake, Mendoza went down on one knee, calling for a fair catch in the end zone, resulting in a safety for the Pioneers, making it 10 to 0.
Two more touchdowns, one on a quarterback keeper by Faulkenberry and another by wide receiver Cole Cripps ran the score up to a 24-point deficit in favor of the Pioneers.
Faulkenberry continued to use the quarterback keeper to get into the end zone, driving the score to 24 to 0. A two point conversion attempt was successful, making the score 26 to 0. Toward the end of the second quarter a short pass from Faulkenberry to Cripps resulted in another Pioneer score.
Though the Bulldogs' defense played more aggressively to hold back the Pioneers, two more touchdowns resulted in a 45-0 victory for Gentry before the game was over.
"There is always room for improvement," said Shane Holland, Decatur football coach. "I thought our kids played hard on both sides of the ball. Defensively, we played much, much better than week one (against Berryville)."
Decatur's quarterback Leng Lee looked much better in this week's outing. Utilizing the quarterback option, Lee managed to move the ball down field for several first downs. But a strong Pioneer defense prevented him from getting into the end zone.
"Offensively we were better," Holland said. "We had many more positive plays. We didn't have so many negative plays. As you go through the season, you want to get better every week."
The Decatur Bulldogs will be on the road Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. to take on the Dragons in Mountainburg for the first conference game of the season.
This will be the second time these two teams have met this season. The first was at Bulldog Stadium Aug. 23 for the Arkansas Activities Association's athlete insurance fund. The Dragons won that game. But Decatur continues to grow and learn from the mistakes of the Berryville and Gentry games and is hopeful as the team begins conference play.
"When it comes time to play within your district to compete in the playoffs, you need to be playing and I think we took a step in the right direction," said Holland. "I know it's hard to lose, but if we stay together we got a chance."
Both the Decatur and Gentry junior high teams met Sept. 8 at Pioneer Stadium in Gentry. It was all Gentry in the first two quarters as they took a 30 to 0 lead into the locker room at the half. As both teams took to the field for the beginning of the second half, officials and coaches met at mid field. With lightning within five miles of the stadium, the game was canceled. As soon as the announcement was made, the skies opened up and a hard rain began to fall.
The Pioneers return home in a nonconference game with the Greenland Pirates at Pioneer Stadium in Gentry Sept. 16, at 7 p.m.
Sports on 09/14/2016