Bulldogs fall to Dragons in first conference matchup

Photo by Mike Eckels Alex Lee (Decatur 5) received a handoff from Joseph Armstrong (left) during the first quarter of the Decatur-Mountainburg football contest at Bulldog Stadium in Decatur Sept. 22. The Dragons defeated the Bulldogs, 55-7, in the first conference matchup of the 2017 season.
Photo by Mike Eckels Alex Lee (Decatur 5) received a handoff from Joseph Armstrong (left) during the first quarter of the Decatur-Mountainburg football contest at Bulldog Stadium in Decatur Sept. 22. The Dragons defeated the Bulldogs, 55-7, in the first conference matchup of the 2017 season.

— The Bulldogs got off to a good start in their third game of the season when they played host to the Mountainburg Dragons in their first conference showdown at Bulldog Stadium in Decatur Sept. 22.

This was the second time these two teams met this season. In late August, the Bulldogs traveled to Mountainburg for a charity scrimmage at Dragon Stadium. This event raised money for the Arkansas Activities Association's injured player fund.

Although no official scores were kept at the time, the Dragons claimed the victory over the Bulldogs. This game proved to be more than just a scrimmage; it gave Decatur coaches Ryan Woolard, Sheldon McKinzie and Cody Reid a chance to scout both offensive and defensive units of the Dragons, giving the Bulldogs a slight advantage in the Sept. 22 contest.

That advantage showed throughout the game as the Bulldog defense forced the Dragons to make several mistakes, including several fumbles, sacks and two interceptions, something unseen in the two previous contests.

Decatur held off several Mountainburg drives early in the first quarter until the 7:20 mark when Mountainburg's Jesse Quick ran into the end zone for the Dragons' first touchdown. A two-point conversion attempt was successful, making it 8-0 Dragons. A few minutes later, Mountainburg's Robert Roxin found the end zone on a quarterback keeper, increasing the Dragons' lead to 15-0.

Mitchell Linder intercepted a Joseph Armstrong pass to Caydan Bingham late in the first quarter, setting up the third Mountainburg touchdown.

Midway through the second quarter, Decatur recovered a Mountainburg fumble at the Decatur 30 yard line. But the Dragons' strong defense prevented the Bulldogs from capitalizing on the Mountainburg mistake. A few minutes later, a miscommunication between Roxin and his wide receiver resulted in another fumble at the Mountainburg 40 yard line. The ball slipped out of a crowd of players and was rolling loose in the center of the field. The loose ball was scooped up by Decatur wide receiver Taylor Haisman who found an open field to the end zone for the Bulldogs' only touchdown of the game.

Touchdowns by Mountainburg's Austin Taylor, Connor Rogers and Jesse Quick ended the first half 35-7.

A knee injury just before halftime put Decatur key wide receiver Taylor Haisman out the contest for the remainder of the game.

It was all Mountainburg in the second half as they scored two more touchdowns in the third quarter on runs by Conner Rogers and Jesse Quick and a late touchdown by Jesse McGuire, putting the Dragons up by 48 points.

Early in the fourth quarter, Dragon tailback Austin Taylor took a handoff by Roxin, found an opening in the Decatur line and ran along the sideline toward the corner of the goal line. Decatur's Joseph Armstrong hit Taylor hard, forcing the ball loose in the end zone. Decatur's Rigo Rubi recovered and took a knee for a touchback. The Bulldogs again were unable to take advantage of the Mountainburg fumble and the game ended with the Mountainburg Dragons defeating the Decatur Bulldogs, 55-7.

The Bulldogs will be on the road Sept. 29 when they travel to Magazine to take on the Leftwich Rattlers in Rattler Stadium. Game time will be 7 p.m.

Sports on 09/27/2017