Strong Ground Game, Key Defensive Stops Pace Sulphur To 28-27 Overtime Win Over Warriors
One of the largest crowds ever to watch a football game in Sulphur witnessed an astonishing contest between two of the best programs in the state last Friday night.
The annual showdown between Sulphur and Washington lived up to its billing as the Bulldogs rallied to defeat the Warriors, 28-27, in overtime at Agee Field.
“What an incredible night, what an incredible atmosphere and environment for a high school football game featuring two tradition-rich football communities,” Sulphur head coach Corey Cole said. “It had to be one of the biggest crowds we’ve ever had here at Agee Field for a Friday night football game.”
The contest began as a defensive battle, with the Bulldogs trailing 13-7 at halftime. By midway through the fourth quarter, Sulphur’s situation wasn’t hopeless, but the Bulldogs needed to pick up the pace if they were going to pull out the victory.
At the 9:45 mark of the fourth period, Washington’s big tight end and Penn State commit, Case Alexander, burned the Bulldogs on a 12-yard scoring pass from quarterback Creed Barrett to give the Warriors a 21-14 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining.
It was now or never for the Bulldogs.
Starting his first game at quarterback, senior Traber Sartors connected with receiver Nate Wood on a three-yard pass play to start Sulphur’s next series. It wasn’t much, but it seemed to provide the spark the Bulldogs needed.
Power runner JoJo Gray then reeled off runs of eight and nine yards to add to the momentum. On first down, Sartors rolled out and fired a pass to senior Carter Cole, who made a leaping catch at the pylon to complete the 35-yard scoring play and even the game at 21-21 after Angel Rios hit the critical extra point.
Neither team could move the ball on the next two series, and the Bulldogs fought through a spate of holding penalties to retain possession until the end of regulation.
Sulphur lost the overtime coin toss and was forced to go on offense first, a situation that can put a team at a disadvantage.
But it didn’t matter. Junior Bulldog running back Jackson Haggard blew through a hole to the one-yard line on the first overtime play, followed by Sartors plunging into the end zone on the second play. Rios’ PAT was good, and Sulphur had taken a 28-21 lead.
The Sulphur crowd fell silent moments later, however, as Barrett fired a nine-yard scoring strike to Alexander on Washington’s second overtime play to bring the Warriors within one point.
Going for a tie didn’t seem to be an option for Washington coach Brad Beller.
And he didn’t. But Sulphur brought pressure on the two-point conversion try, flushing Barrett out of the pocket. The quarterback tried to outrun Carter Cole to the pylon, but Cole was just a half-step ahead and made a game-saving stop to preserve the Bulldog victory.
“What a tremendous finish, and what a tremendous game that was,” Corey Cole said. “Like I said, I think everybody got their money’s worth.”
Cole said he was proud of the way his players handled the intensity of the game and continued to improve as the night progressed.
“I was really, really proud of our kids for their toughness, their grit, their will to win and their commitment to stay true to the process,” he said. “I thought we were getting stronger as the game went on, and I thought we played really well down the stretch and in overtime.”
The Bulldogs’ ability to control the line of scrimmage proved to be a major factor in the victory. Sulphur ran for nearly 240 yards while holding Washington to around 100 yards on the ground.
“A big difference was we didn’t turn the ball over,” Cole said. “I thought we were really, really physical and, for the most part, we were very efficient. I thought our defensive line played extremely well controlling the line of scrimmage.”
Gray led the Bulldogs’rushing attack with close to 150 yards. Haggard and Madden Duck also delivered big carries throughout the contest.
Cole credited the offensive line of Kaleb Walker, AJ Gordon, George Martinez, Wriley Ashley, Caysen Meador and Acer Dixon for helping establish the Bulldogs’ physical running game.
“I thought those guys played really, really well for us throughout the ball game,” he said.
While Sulphur’s passing attack struggled at times, Sartors came through when the Bulldogs needed him most, connecting with Carter Cole on the 35-yard touchdown that tied the game late in the fourth quarter.
“We definitely need to get better in our passing attack,” Corey Cole said. “We struggled there a little bit for parts of the game, but Traber hit Carter for the big 35-yard touchdown to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. It was a great throw by Traber and a big-time catch by Carter.”
The Bulldogs then turned to their running game in overtime.
“Jackson Haggard had the big run to get us down the one-yard line, and then Traber punched it in,” Cole said. “Angel Rios then hit the extra point that gave us a 28-21 lead.”
Alexander’s overtime touchdown brought Washington within one, setting up the dramatic twopoint conversion attempt.
Cole said the Bulldogs elected to use man coverage on the play, a strategy they had not employed much during the game.
“We decided to go man coverage, and we hadn’t done that most of the night, so it was a little bit of a different strategy, hoping to disguise that a little bit,” he said. “We brought pressure to try to flush the quarterback, and it did.”
As Barrett rolled toward the pylon, Carter Cole found himself in single coverage with Alexander.
“Alexander went and blocked and kind of freaked Carter up, and then it was just a race to the pylon as Carter beat Creed Barrett by a half a step,” Corey Cole said.
Sulphur’s defensive effort was led by Michael Morris, who recorded 15 tackles, three tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup.
“He had a heck of a game for us at linebacker,” Cole said. “He played outstanding, as did all of our other linebackers.”
Chase Warden, making his first appearance as a Bulldog, played well at linebacker, while Duck and Lucas Mitchell also turned in strong performances.
Cole praised the play of his defensive line, including Acer Dixon, Britton McKinley and Kaleb Walker in the middle, along with Garin Watson, George Martinez and Jesse Peters at defensive end.
“I was really proud of the defensive line and the linebackers up front controlling the run game,” he said.
The Bulldogs’ secondary also improved as the game progressed. Ethan Sales played well in his first career start, while Aylor Dixon recorded 10 tackles and delivered several big hits.
“I thought he played really well,” Cole said.
Sartors also contributed on defense at safety, while Mavric Lowrance and Drake Wood provided steady play in the secondary.
Cole said the victory was a valuable early-season test for both teams.
“It was an extremely physical game, and a game of momentum changes,” he said. “It was a playoff-type atmosphere here in Week 1. I think both teams will benefit greatly from playing such a high-level game so early in the season.”
Despite the victory, Cole said the Bulldogs know there is plenty of work to do.
“Obviously, there’s lots of things that can be fixed, and that’s why you play games like this,” he said. “It’s why you play somebody the caliber of a team like Washington, because they’re going to expose your weaknesses, and they’re going to show you where you need to get better in a hurry.”
The Bulldogs will now turn their attention to correcting those mistakes and continuing to improve.
“We got lots of things that we need to fix, and that’s what we’re focused on this next week is to get better,” Cole said. “You play games like this hoping that you can make a run in the playoffs and play in December.”
And after a game that delivered on every bit of its preseason hype, the Bulldogs have already taken a major step toward that goal.
Game Recap
After fumbling on the seventh play of their opening possession, the Warriors held Sulphur on a fourth and five and took over at their own 34.
It didn’t take them long to score as Warrior signal caller Creed Barret connected to Adam Sharp on a 65-yard scoring pass. The PAT kick failed, but the Warriors were on the board with a 6-0 lead.
On Sulphur’s possession, the Dog’s JoJo Gray sparked the Sulphur offense with a 21-yard run. Madden Duck reeled off a 12-yard run into the red zone and Sartors completed the drive with a 3-yard TD run with 2:23 left in the first period.
Sulphur didn’t convert the PAT kick, but tied the score at 6-6.
The Warriors moved to near midfield on their ensuing drive but stalled out and kicked to the end-zone.
The Dogs couldn’t move either, but Lucas Mitchell boomed a long punt to the Warrior 30.
Sulphur’s defense held, but they couldn’t move on their next possession and were forced to punt again. This time, Mitchell had to retreat deep into the redzone to retrieve the center snap, but was able to get off excellent boot.
The Warriors then mounted a 65-yard scoring drive to go ahead of the Dogs at the half, 13-6.
Sulphur opened the second half after returning the kick to their own 33. The Dogs couldn’t overcome a holding penalty, but Mitchell launched a booming, 62-yard punt to the Warrior 3.
That deep punt eventually led to the Dogs getting a safety two series later when Michael Morris broke through and tackled a Warrior runner in the end-zone.
With 4:29 left in the 3rd quarter, the Dogs trailed only by five, 13-8.
The Dogs got good field position on the ensuing punt at the Warrior 43 and began to move. Mavric Lowrance reeled in 14yard pass from Sartors, then the Sulphur signal-caller completed the drive on an 8-yard TD run. Rios’ PAT was good, and Sulphur led, 14,-13.
The Warriors re-took the lead on their next drive onAlexander’s 12-yard reception and PAT kick.
Sulphur then tied the game at 21 with 7:42 left in the fourth quarter as Carter Cole made a leaping catch at the pylon for the score.
Neither team was able to score in the remaining minutes, leading to an overtime, and the rest is history as the Dogs won in one of the most exciting games at Agee Field.
Sulphur will have little rest this week as they face off with #2 Davis this Friday at Agee Field in the Bedlam rivalry series.
