Dogs Light It Up In 77-28 Win Over Holland Hall
Even 130 yards in penalties and several explosive plays from Holland Hall wasn’t enough to slow down the Sulphur Bulldogs.
The team erupted for 759 yards in total offense and completely overpowered the Dutch last Friday in the quarterfinals of the Class 3A playoffs.
Sulphur lit up the scoreboard in a 49-point second half, and went on to post a 77-28 win to move forward into the semifinals on December 5 vs. Perkins-Tryon.
Since there will be no game this Friday due to the bye week, the Times-Democrat will preview the semifinal game in the December 4 edition.
In one of the most incredible games ever at Agee Field, the Dogs scored on every possession but one and used an array of play-makers to outdistance a quality Holland Hall team, who came into the game with only one loss.
Sulphur led at the half by only 28-14, but a second half offensive explosion left the Dutch in its wake.
While the Dogs had their share of mistakes, they made up for them with stellar play from all over the field. One of those plays electrified the crowd and pretty much put the topping on the cake.
Holland Hall had just scored in a four-play drive in the third quarter to cut Sulphur’s lead to 21. Their outstanding kicker, Connor Hutchins, booted the ball to the goal-line where the Dog’s Bridge Barrett made a leaping catch to keep it from going into the end-zone. Barrett then sped in and out and around and array of would-be tacklers on a 100yard touchdown return, and it was game-over at that point.
Head Sulphur coach, Corey Cole, said he was extremely proud of his team and the many Bulldog fans who filled the stadium.
“What an incredible night last Friday at Calvin Agee Field - our crowd was electric and rowdy all night and the Bulldogs played great football and clinched their spot in the OSSAA Class 3A state semifinals,” he said. “And we have achieved Goal 2, and that is practicing on Thanksgiving Day. Something that we look forward to is the opportunity to practice with our football family on this great holiday.”
Sulphur seniors finished their career at home on a 19-game home win streak that dates back to their first game as sophomores and they finished at 19-1 at home in their careers.
“I was really proud of our physicality and approach to the game, our guys are playing really confident and playing together,” he said. “We have faced adversity several times in the first two playoff games and our guys have done a great job of having a next play mindset. Our leadership has been incredible and the way we are working and eager to get better everyday has been a key to our success here of late.”
Cole said there are some things that the Dogs must improve upon if they want to advance to a state championship game and he listed several:
•“We have to cut out all the stupid penalties, we had 13 penalties for over 130 yards last Friday and if that happens again it could cost us a golden opportunity
•“We have got to limit the big plays, the last two weeks we have given up way too many big plays defensively and we cannot do that moving forward. Perkins has an explosive offense and we cannot give them big plays in the semifinal.
•“Biggest thing moving forward is to keep playing together, playing with great physicality, playing with confidence, working to get better every opportunity we get, and playing together with a strong brotherhood like we have all season.”
But one area of the game that Cole cited as outstanding was the rushing game.
“Offensively, our run game was absolutely phenomenal for the second week in a row,” he said. “We ran for a season high 611 yards on 52 attempts and 8 TD’s. Our offensive line played arguably their best game last Friday as a unit, and we will need to continue to lean on them as we move deeper into the playoffs. I thought we did a great job of moving the ball around and getting the ball to our playmakers in space and letting them make things happen.
“Maddax Mobly had an incredible night with 149 yards rushing and 4 TD’s and added another 79 yards and a TD in passing. Jojo Gray added 163 yards rushing and a TD, Carter Cole added 97 yards, Traber Sartors finished with 95 yards and a TD and Grady Hardoin finished with 68 yards and 2 TDs.”
Cole also praise quarterback Kale Brakefield, who added 148 yards in passing that resulted in two TDs along with 34 yards in rushing. Drake Wood was also complimented for his 69 yards in receiving and a TD.
Cole said the team played at a “great pace, we just have to limit penalties.”
With the exception three long pass plays the Dogs gave up, Cole said the team performed well in that area. “I thought we played really fast and aggressive,” he said. “We only allowed them 39 yards rushing on 26 attempts and forced them to be one dimensional. We have to be focused and play under control and make sure we are in the right spots in our coverages and in our alignments. We forced seven punts and had five three and outs.”
He cited several on the defensive side of the ball who he said performed well.
“Kash Pickett and Jason Gleason had big nights for the Bulldog defense,” he said. “Pickett had 18 tackles and Gleason added six tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss, he dominated the line of scrimmage. Jayden McClure and Madden Duck each contributed six tackles. Maddax Mobly had five tackles and a huge interception early in the game. Our defensive line played very well and continues to use great technique. Our linebackers are flying all over the place and our secondary continues to play very well and fast.”
Special teams was another area Cole cited as having a stellar night. “I thought we were really good on special teams again this week, Bridge Barrett had a huge, 100 yard kickoff return for a TD, he made a great play, but the blocking upfront was tremendous by our kickoff return unit,” he said. “Our kickoff team continues to do a great job of not giving up big plays and playing with tremendous effort and aggressiveness.”
Cole said it was a big time win for the Bulldogs and the program. “But we still have unfinished business and must continue to approach everything with a champion’s mentality.”
Bye Week Activities
Thanksgiving week will be unusual since their is no game this Friday. It will be on December 5 at a time and place to be announced.
“Gonna be a little odd to be off this week, but we will use it to get some guys healthy and work on all the little things that have to be fixed moving forward,” said Cole.
The Dogs will turn Thanksgiving morning into a unique practice session where family and fans can come and watch.
“Thanksgiving practice will be held Thursday morning and it will be a family friendly event for all of Bulldog nation,” said Cole. “We will start at 7:30 a.m. with weights and then practice from 8:30-9:30 a.m., and we will have coffee/hot chocolate and doughnuts, etc. for all, so if you are in town, come celebrate the Bulldogs practicing on Thanksgiving with us.”
Game Recap
Sulphur opted to go on defense first after winning the coin toss, but were flagged for running into the kicker after forcing the Dutch to punt on their opening possession.
The Dutch made a quick first down after the penalty, and were poised to strike, using their talented passing game. The Dog’s Maddax Mobly had a different idea, however, and intercepted an overthrown pass and returned it to the 44-yard-line of The Dutch.
Mobly picked up 14 on Sulphur’s opening offensive play, then JoJo Gray broke the middle for a 14-yard rush to give the Dogs new life with a first down. Gray and Mobly then picked up 7 and 8 yards on the next two plays, getting down to the one-yard-line where it was an easy plunge into the end-zone for Mobly.
After a penalty on the play against the The Dutch, the Dog’s decided to go for two-point conversion and were successful with Mobly getting the call. That gave the home-town favorites an 8-0 lead with 6:29 left in the first quarter.
Led by strong stops from linebacker Jayden McClure and defensive end Cooper Cole, the Dogs forced The Dutch to punt after yielding only one first down in the series. Sulphur’s Carter Cole gave the Dogs good field position on 19-yard punt return to the Holland Hall 49.
From there, is was all Bulldogs as Gray burst up the middle for 24 yards on a second down, then negotiated the final four yards for the score. The Dogs were helped by a 15-yard Dutch interference penalty, and took a commanding 15-0 lead into the waining moments of first quarter. Colten Cole’s PAT kick was good, and the prospects looked bright for the Dogs.
That momentum was dashed, however, when talented Dutch receiver, Kaysen Fredieu, reeled-in a high pass near the Sulphur sideline and raced 79 yards for a score. The Dog’s Barrett had good coverage on the play, but mistimed his jump to knock down the pass and that left nothing but open spaces as Fredieu raced into the end-zone untouched. The PAT kick was good, narrowing Sulphur’s lead to 15-7.
In only four plays, Sulphur upped the ante after Gray bolted out of the blocks on a 30-yard run, then Mobly blitzed 45 yards for a TD to give Sulphur a three-score lead. The PAT kick failed as the first quarter neared an end, but the Dogs now led 21-7.
The Dutch still had plenty of fight left, and torched the Dogs on pass plays of 10 and 37 yards to get down to the Sulphur 23-yardline. A half-the-distance penalty on the Dogs moved the Dutch down to the 11 where Rhett Gibson ran in almost untouched for the score. The PAT kick was good, giving Holland Hall new life and only one score down, 21-14.
On the next series, the Dog’s Drake Wood picked up 12 yards on a pass, then Gray got three on a rush. A 15-yard penalty against the Dutch and a 10-yard walk-off against Sulphur put the Dogs at the Holland Hall 35. The Dogs were not able to gain a first down and punted for the first time of the night, kicking to the Dutch 9-yard-line.
They couldn’t move and punted right back to the Dogs where Mobly and Gray were poised to strike offensively. Using both players, the Dogs moved steadily into Dutch territory, but a bad snap to quarterback Kale Brakefield led to a 31-yard loss, out to the 37. Carter Cole then came in as quarterback and masterminded a 30-yard up-the-middle run to the Dutch 3. From there, it was easy pickins’ for Mobly who scored the next play. Cole’s PAT kick gave the Dogs a 28-14 lead that would hold up until halftime.
The Dogs started the second half at the 20 after a kickoff to the end-zone.
Carter Cole picked up 7 on the first play, then Brakefield hit Mobly on a screen pass, and he raced 74 yards for the score. Mobly was helped on the play by a good edge block from Wood. The score, with 11:17 left in the third, gave the Dogs a comfortable, 35-14 lead. Cole’s PAT kick was good.
After gaining a first down on their ensuing series, the Dutch threw three straight incomplete passes and punted to the Dog’s 22 yard-line.
Brakefield scrambled from his quarterback position on first down, picking up 22 yards, then hit Wood on an over the shoulder pass that netted a 56-yard score. The pass reception was one of the best of the night and gave the Dogs lots of momentum going forward. The TD came at the 9:43 mark in the 3rd quarter. Cole’s PAT kick was good, and Sulphur now led, 42-14, The scoring was far from over, however, as the Dutch moved from their own 40 to the Sulphur 11, helped by a halfback pass that netted 11 yards. The Dutch’s Gibson then found a seam and ran 11 yards for the score, tightening the Dog’s lead to 42-21.
Big time plays were just about to happen as the Dogs set up to receive the ensuing kickoff.
Barrett set up deep inside Sulphur territory anticipating a long kick from the Dutch’s talented kickoff specialist, Connor Hutchins.
Barrett leaped high and caught the ball about a half-yard or less just outside the goal-line, then began racing in and out, dodging would-be tacklers, and scoring on one of the longest returns in Sulphur history, a 100-yard gem. The score combined with Angel Rios’ PAT kick gave Sulphur a knockout blow as they led 49-21.
The Dutch were not able to move and punted to the Sulphur 18. A 15-yard penalty against the Dutch and a 10-yard holding penalty against the Dogs, put Sulphur at their own 23.
From there, Gray and Mobly lit up the Dutch defense on runs of 31 and 20 yards respectively, then Mobly provided the knock-out blow with runs of 20 and 24 yards for the score. Rios’s booted the PAT, and the Dogs held a commanding, 56-21 lead.
The Dogs lit up the scoreboard one series later with some younger players now in the lineup. Carter Cole raced 47 yards on a third and five play, then Grady Hardoin plunged in from the one to give the Dogs a 63-21 lead. Rios’ PAT kick was good.
There was still much more scoring to come, The Dogs took over after the Dutch were unable to move on their next series and punted to the Sulphur 15. A half-the-distance penalty moved the Dogs back to the seven.
Brakefield picked up 14 on a quarterback run play, then Hardoin, Carter Cole, and Traber Sartors all ran for short gains to give the Dogs some manageable field position. But, a 15-yard Sulphur penalty moved the Dogs back to their own 30. Sartors then got the call and blazed through a big hole for a 70-yard score to give the Dogs a 70-21 lead with 8:11 left in the game.
The Dutch returned the kickoff to the Sulphur 45, then Fredieu found an opening in the Sulphur secondary and raced 45 yards on a pass to give his team their final points of the night after the PAT kick.
The Dogs still had a little left in the tank, with Sartors and Hardoin taking turns on several good, up the middle runs. Hardoin negotiated the final seven yards for the score and Rios’ kick gave the Dogs scoreboard blowout win of 77-28.
PHOT0 BY SABRINA DUCK
