28-Point Second Half Ignites Sulphur In Class 3A-2 Win Over A Physical Perkins-Tryon Team
Holding on to a slim, one-point lead late in the third quarter, Sulphur’s Dogs hit the afterburners and scored 21 consecutive points to jet past Class 3A’s number fourranked Perkins-Tryon Demons last Friday.
Sulphur exploded in the final 13½ minutes with big plays from the game’s rushing and passing leader, Maddax Mobly, the passing of quarterback Kale Brakefield, and several defensive gems from a host of Dogs.
The Demons came into Agee Field with a strong running game and proved early-on they would put up a fight against the unbeaten and number two-ranked Dogs.
When the Demons failed to take the lead on a 36-yard field goal with just over a minute and one-half left in the third quarter, Sulphur took command and swept past the visitors, 42-20, scoring three unanswered TDs to take control of the game.
Sulphur head coach, Corey Cole, said it was a “big-time win for the Bulldogs.”
“I was really proud of our players for the way they kept handling adversity last Friday,” said Cole. “We kept our composure and made plays when we needed them the most.”
Cole said the Demons proved they were a top team in Class 3A by pushing the Bulldogs to the limit and giving Sulphur a tremendous challenge.
Cole also praised the intangibles that motivated his team.
“It was another great crowd at Calvin Agee Field last Friday, the band, cheer team, and our rowdy fans were a big difference in the game, we are very fortunate that we have such a great following for Bulldog football,” he said.
The Bulldogs got off to slow start, giving up a 71-yard touchdown run by the Demon’s tough-to-tackle tailback, Wyatt Atkinson, on the game’s third play. Sulphur also had to battle back from three turnovers, one of which went for a score, but as Cole said, the team made big plays when they needed them the most.
Several of those big plays came from Mobly, a Navy commit, who scored three TDs in the game, including an 80-yard run that sparked the late Bulldog rally, and an interception minutes later that sealed the win.
“Maddax Mobly had a tremendous game as he was responsible for 251 yards of offense and 3 TD’s and 14 tackles and an interception on defense,” said Cole. “Mobly seems to play his best and shine the most in big games but he would be the first to tell you that we just made too many mistakes against a really good team that we can’t make in these big games.”
Cole also praised the defensive effort from a host of Dogs, including Jason Gleason and Grady Hardoin, both of whom had two quarterback sacks. Also praised for their effort were Carter Cole, Jaden McClure, Madden Duck, and Kash Pickett, each with double digit tackles for the Bulldogs.
In addition to starting slow, Cole said the Dogs had some misalignment issues on defense, a busted coverage in their defensive backfield which allowed a TD, and too many missed tackles.
“All these things can and will be corrected,” he said.
Cole said Brakefield had another stellar effort at quarterback, throwing for 247 yards and three scores. On the receiving end of those TD passes were Mobly, Colten Cole and Carter Cole.
Above Left: Bulldog running back JoJo Gray (7) dives for extra yardage in the Bulldog’s 42-20 win over Perkins-Tryon last Friday. Also pictured is George Martinez (50), who had a critical sack to stop a Demon drive later on in the game. Above Right: Sulphur defensive end Grady Hardoin (42) gets a stiff arm from a Perkins-Tryon runner, but manages to make a key stop in the game. PHOTOS BY BLAKE SEALE
JoJo Gray also had a good game offensively, rushing for 70 yards and a score, said Coach Cole.
“I thought our offense was very balanced,” said Cole. “Our perimeter blocking was much improved by our receivers and overall our O-line had another good game against a difficult defense to prepare for. Colten Cole had his biggest game to date and we have got to keep finding ways to get him the ball in our offense as he is a match-up problem for opposing defenses.”
Some of the areas Cole said his team needs improvement on include third down efficiency, both offensively and defensively, and securing the football.
“I love our team, I love the way they compete day-in and day-out, and their brotherhood is incredible,” he said. “This team has gotten off to a great start but we are never satisfied, and we didn’t feel like we played like we should have last Friday. I’m proud of our fight when it got close last Friday and the way we have finished games, hopefully we can fix and correct some things that need addressing the one thing I know is that this group will take the coaching and will do everything in their power to make sure we get better so we can continue to chase our goals.”
Sulphur found themselves in a hole early in their win over Perkins last Friday, as the Demon’s leading rusher, Wyatt Atkinson, ran 71 yards untouched for a score on the game’s third offensive play.
More adversity stalked the Dogs on their ensuing possession, as P-T recovered a fumble at their own 42.
The Demons couldn’t move and punted to the Dog’s 10 yard-line where Sulphur began mounting a drive as Barrett reeled in a 34-yard strike from Brakefield four plays into the drive. But, the turnover bug struck the Dogs again, as P-T picked off a pass. A 15-yard penalty on the play set the foes back to their own 36.
Sulphur’s defense picked up the pace at that point and forced a punt, setting up shop for the offense at their own 35.
The Dogs covered the 65 yards in 10 plays, scoring on a six-yard Brakefield to Carter Cole pass with the first quarter nearing an end. Big play in the drive was a 25-yard pass and catch from the same duo. Colten Cole made the PAT kick to give Sulphur a 7-6 lead.
Perkins took over at their own 28 on the kick but Hardoin got his first quarterback sack of the evening and the Dogs forced a punt which they downed at their own 37.
Brakefield then found Mobly open on a 63-yard pass and run play to give Sulphur their second score of the evening. Cole’s PAT kick gave Sulphur a 14-6 lead.
Running from his tailback position, the Demon’sAtkinson provided the firepower as foes went on a 19-play drive, but they couldn’t covert on a fourth down deep into Sulphur territory as the Dogs had good coverage on a pass to the end-zone.
With a little trickery to open the second half, Perkins tried an onside kick, but the ball didn’t go the necessary 10 yards, and Sulphur recovered at Demon’s 45.
In just five plays, the Dogs negotiated the distance as Brakefield hit Colten Cole on a 33-yard touchdown strike. Cole also caught a 13-yard pass in the drive, then booted the PAT to give the Dogs a 21-6 lead.
That seemed like a comfortable margin at the time, but Sulphur had a mix-up in their defensive backfield on the next series, allowing the Demons to strike from 63 yards out on a pass with 9:23 left in the third quarter. The PAT kick narrowed the margin to eight, 21-13.
Sulphur couldn’t move on their next possession and punted, but the Dog’s Drake Wood picked off a Demon pass on the next possession and Dogs were back in business.
Two plays later, however, Perkins snatched the ball away from the Dog’s JoJo Gray as he was pushing for extra yardage and went in for the score. That narrowed the lead to one, 21-20, and suddenly it was a new game with 5:50 left in the third quarter.
Sulphur still couldn’t find any momentum in their next series and were forced to punt.
Perkins took the ball down to the Sulphur 26 where they stalled after Jayden McClure tipped a long pass away, stopping the drive. The Demons then tried a 36-yard field goal, but it was wide.
From that point, it was all Dogs. Mobly went 80 yards for a score on the Dog’s fist play and Cole booted the PAT kick to give Sulphur an eight-point lead, 28-20.
Neither team was able to mount a drive on their next series, both trading punts.
Sulphur finally stopped the foes on their next series when McClure and Hardoin ran down the quarterback for a loss.
Mobly then used his running ability and scored on the ensuing series, going in from the 37 to give the Dogs 35-20 lead, following Cole’s PAT kick.
Three plays into the next series, Mobly picked off a Perkins’ pass to pretty much seal the deal for the Dogs.
Barrett then hauled in a 34-yard pass from Brakefield on first play of the drive, then Gray scored from five yards out to give the Dogs a hard-fought, 42-20 win. Angel Rios booted the PAT.
