Sometimes stats lie, and sometimes they don’t.
In Friday night’s district showdown at Madill, the numbers told the story perfectly as the Sulphur Bulldogs exploded for 10 touchdowns on just 33 offensive plays, piled up more than 500 yards of offense and dismantled the young Wildcats, 68-0.
Sulphur wasted little time putting the game away.
The Bulldogs scored three touchdowns on just one play each, another touchdown in three plays, one in four plays and another in five plays — all in the opening quarter. Sulphur raced to a 41-0 lead after one quarter and carried a commanding 55-0 advantage into halftime.
For the Bulldogs, now 3-1, the dominant victory provided exactly the response head coach Corey Cole wanted following the previous week’s loss to Gunter, Texas.
“I was very proud of the way our kids bounced back from the Gunter loss a week before,” Cole said. “I thought we had a really great week of practice in preparation and Friday night, we went out and took care of business.”
Cole said the Bulldogs corrected mistakes from the Gunter game, made adjustments and played with the speed, physicality and relentless effort he expects from his team.
“I thought we were on the attack from the first whistle and never slowed down,” he said. “I loved our intensity, loved our effort and loved how we were focused on the main thing, and that was to get better and improve.”
Offense Finds Its Rhythm Sulphur was efficient through the air, completing 5 of 6 passes for more than 180 yards, while the running game produced more than 300 yards.
The Bulldogs also protected the football, committing no turnovers.
“Our offensive linemen played very, very well,” Cole said. “We’ve got to get some guys in and some situations that they hadn’t been in with our lineup.”
Quarterback Trevor Sartors turned in a strong performance in limited action, throwing a touchdown pass and running for two touchdowns in only a few series.
Cole said Sartors appeared more confident and precise in his execution.
“In the offense we run, it puts a lot on our quarterback and we expect a lot out of them,” Cole said. “I thought after these first few weeks, he played really well, but I thought things were starting to slow down for him and he’s starting to get comfortable.”
Maverick Lowrance caught a pair of touchdown passes, while Carter Cole, Garin Watson and Rush Pitman also contributed in the receiving game and on the perimeter.
The Bulldogs also received production from a deep group of running backs.
Jaxson Haggard ran for two touchdowns, while Lucas Mitchell and Chase Warden each had productive nights. Freshmen Blaze Burch and Kyler Wallace also broke off big runs.
Cole said Sulphur intentionally limited the workload of Jojo Gray, who had carried the ball extensively during the first three games.
Acer Dixon also saw his first snaps of the season at quarterback and impressed Cole with his efficiency.
“I thought he did a great job running the offense and took what the defense gave us with quick throws,” Cole said. “In the quarterback run game, I thought he did a really nice job in his reads. It was very efficient.”
Defense Swarms Madill While the offense was putting up eye-popping numbers, the Sulphur defense was equally dominant.
Madill was held to just 38 yards of offense despite running more than 50 plays in the game.
Cole said the Bulldogs simplifi ed their defensive approach and concentrated on attacking, playing assignment football and swarming to the ball.
“You’re gonna see seven to 10 Bulldogs in every picture around the ball carrier,” Cole said. “That’s a trait that we gotta have. We gotta be flying around and get into the football and be physical.”
Jesse Peters turned in perhaps his best defensive performance of the season, recording seven tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Linebacker Brody Scott led the Bulldogs with 11 tackles, continuing a steady progression that has earned him an increasingly prominent role.
“He’s a guy that just keeps getting better each and every week and finding his way on the field more and more every week,” Cole said.
Cole also praised the play of Sulphur’s linebackers and defensive line, while noting that the Bulldogs were able to get several players back healthy and give a large number of defensive players valuable playing time.
PHOTOS BY BLAKE SEALE Sulphur receiver Mavric Lowrance, above left, races 62 yards for a touchdown on a pass from quarterback Traber Sartors, while Garin Watson (20), above right, catches a 17-yard strike from Sartors on the game’s second play and runs 17 yards to the two-yardline, setting up the Bulldog’s first score in their blowout win over Madill last Friday.
“I feel like we’ve had a really, really fast defensive unit, and I thought our speed really was a big difference last Friday night,” he said.
Special Teams Also Makes Its Mark
The Bulldogs received strong contributions from their special teams units as well.
Carter Cole and Nate Wood had big returns, while Sulphur’s kickoff team continued to perform at a high level.
Angel Rios provided another steady performance in extra point kics, and Cole was particularly pleased to see Harley Peters convert an extra point late in the game.
“He works really hard in the kicking game and to see him make one was fantastic,” Cole said.
Bulldogs Turn Attention To Seminole With the opening district victory secured, Sulphur now turns its attention to a major homecoming matchup with Seminole on Friday.
The Chieftains enter the game at 3-1 after a victory over Pauls Valley last week, and Cole expects a physical challenge from a talented roster.
“Seminole brings in a very talented roster,” Cole said. “They are huge up front and fast in the back end, so we definitely will have our hands full this Friday.”
Cole emphasized that the Bulldogs’ preparation throughout the week will be critical.
“The main goal is to get better every Friday night,” he said. “That means we have to have a great week of preparation to win on Friday. We’ve gotta be great Monday through Thursday, we gotta have attention to detail, focus on the little things that could be a big difference in these ball games.”
The matchup also renews a rivalry with plenty of history between Sulphur and Seminole.
“What a history Sulphur and Seminole had through the years,” Cole said. “Both teams were the standard for a long, long time and this rivalry goes way back.”
Cole also expressed tremendous respect for Seminole head coach Mike Snyder, noting Snyder recently recorded his 400th career victory, all at Seminole.
“Coach Mike Snyder, in my opinion, is one of the greatest coaches in the history of Oklahoma high school football,” Cole said. “What a great legacy and living legend, and I appreciate his friendship and his guidance being a mentor to me and so many other coaches.”
Cole said the Bulldogs will need to bring the same intensity they displayed against Madill while taking care of the football and maintaining their physical style.
“We must take care of the football, play fast, physical, relentless Sulphur football if we want to have an opportunity to win this Friday night,” he said.
After the disappointment of the Gunter loss, the Bulldogs got exactly the kind of response their coach was looking for at Madill.
Now, with district play underway and Seminole coming to town for homecoming, Sulphur will look to build on that momentum.
Madill Game Recap
Sulphur took the game’s opening kickoff at their own 39, and scored in only three plays. Carter Cole raced 43 yards on a pass from quarterback Traber Sartors on first down, then Garin Watson hauled in a 17-yard pass to the two-yard-line. JoJo Gray then added the final two yards for the score. Angel Rios’ PAT kick was good.
The Dog’s Harley Peters got into the action by recovering a Madill fumble at the Wildcats’ 27 on the ensuing possession, and from there it was an easy score as Sartors sped around end for the six-pointer. Rios’ kick was wide, but the Dogs were in total command early, 13-0.
The Wildcats were stopped cold on their next possession, and were forced to punt.
The Dogs took over at the Madill 40, where Sartors used his legs to score from there to give Sulphur a three-score lead. Rios’ PAT kick was good, and Sulphur was now off to the races with a 20-0 lead.
The powerful Sulphur defense forced Madill to punt once again on their next series, and speedy Bulldog return specialist Mavric Lowrance was waiting. He gathered in the punt, then raced 62 yards for the Dogs fourth touchdown. Rios added the PAT kick and Sulphur now took full control of game, 27-0.
The Dog’s Nate Wood gave his team more fuel for the fire after intercepting a Madill pass, and returning it about 60 yards to the 10. The Dogs then overcame a holding penalty and scored in only four plays as Jackson Haggard had runs of 13 and one yard for the TD.
With 2:28 left in the first quarter, Sulphur increased their lead to 34-0.
Bulldog backup quarterback Ayler Dixon made his debut on the next series and began with a 46-yard TD strike to Lowrance as the Dogs took a 41-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
They would end the half with two more scores as Lucas Mitchell and Chase Warden combined on several good runs with Mitchell plunging over from the two to give the Dogs their seventh score in seven possessions.
Sulphur then scored on their eighth consecutive possession after once again forcing a Madill punt. Taking over a the Wildcat’s 44, Dixon sped 23 yards on first down, then Haggard blew through the middle on a 29-yard score as the Dogs took a overwhelming, 55-0 lead at the half.
Rios added both PAT kicks on the last two Sulphur TDs.
Withe more reserves seeing action in the second half, the Bulldog scoring machine continued to roll. Sulphur’s defense held Madill on their opening possession of the second half after the Wildcats had three consecutive first downs.
Freshman Blaze Burch then made the most of his time in the game by taking the opening handoff and running 36 yards to the 24-yard-line. He added another 15-yard run, followed by Dixon’s 3-yard TD run to give the Dogs a 61-0 lead, still in the third quarter.
Madill simply could not mount any sustained offense despite two Sulphur 15-yard penalties and were forced to punt for the seventh time in the game.
The Dogs took over at their own 22.
Another freshman running back then made his presence known on the ensuing Bulldog possession as Kyler Wallace picked up 16 yards on his first carry.
He then took it to the house on the next play, a 72-yard scoring run to give the Dogs their 10th consecutive touchdown of the night. Reserve kicker Harley Peters added the PAT to give the Dogs their final point of the night as Sulphur went home with a 68-0 win.
