Dogs Dominate Seminole In In Show Of Firepower, 62-0

Sulphur Holds Chieftains To -3 Yards Of Total Offense

Sulphur used a lockdown defense and an array of offensive weapons to dismantle Seminole last Friday in one of the Bulldogs’ biggest shows of firepower this season.

The Bulldogs’ Garin Watson took the opening kickoff 72 yards for a touchdown, and it was all downhill from there as Sulphur swamped the Chieftains, 62-0.

Seminole entered the contest with a 3-1 record and appeared poised to give the Bulldogs, also 3-1, an early district test. Instead, the game was essentially decided within minutes.

Sulphur exploded for six touchdowns in the opening quarter and added two more scores in the second period to take a commanding 55-0 lead into halftime.

While the offensive production was impressive, the real story of the night was a suffocating Sulphur defense that held Seminole to **minus-three yards of total offense**.

The Chieftains never crossed midfield in the first half and never seriously threatened to score. Even after Sulphur was flagged for consecutive 15-yard penalties, the Bulldogs’defense quickly shut down any hopes of a Seminole comeback.

Head Sulphur coach Corey Cole said he was particularly proud of the Bulldogs’ focus during a week filled with the distractions that come with homecoming.

“This was a great homecoming win,” Cole said. “I thought our kids were laser-focused considering it being a homecoming week and all the distractions that come with it — the float building, the homecoming ceremony and everything that goes into it.”

Cole said the Bulldogs’ defensive performance was outstanding from start to finish.

“Defensively, I thought we were outstanding all night,” he said. “We were flying to the football, very aggressive, physical and fast.”

Sulphur recorded 12 tackles for loss and a sack while consistently keeping Seminole behind the line of scrimmage.

Michael Morris led the Bulldogs with 10 tackles, including two tackles for loss. Cole also praised the play of defensive linemen Acer Dixon, AJ Gordon, Kaleb Walker and George Martinez, along with defensive ends Watson and Jesse Peters and a secondary that avoided major mistakes.

“We had no busts,” Cole said. “We were really good tackling and were where we were supposed to be most of the night.”

The Bulldogs also dominated in the kicking game. Watson’s opening kickoff return provided an immediate spark, while Sulphur’s coverage units were strong throughout the night.

Sulphur did not punt and forced Seminole to punt eight times. Angel Rios converted seven of eight extra-point attempts, while Harley Peters was perfect on his lone attempt.

Offensively, the Bulldogs rolled up 313 yards rushing and 130 yards passing while running just 34 offensive plays with the clock running throughout the second half.

Quarterback Traber Sartors completed 5-of-7 passes for 121 yards and three touchdowns. Cole said Sartors continues to grow more comfortable directing the Bulldogs’ RPO offense.

“I think he is getting more and more comfortable every week with what we want from our quarterback,” Cole said. “I feel like he’s progressing really well right now.”

Jojo Gray continued his strong season with another 100-yard performance, rushing for 111 yards and two touchdowns.

Carter Cole led the Bulldogs through the air with two receptions for 74 yards and two touchdowns.

Cole also credited Sulphur’s offensive line for continuing to improve each week.

The Bulldogs’younger players also saw significant playing time late in the contest, giving the coaching staff an opportunity to see the next wave of Sulphur players in action.

“I just love watching how they play the game like we teach it,” Cole said. “They fly around, they’re very aggressive, and play the style of football that we want to see our kids play.”

The victory marked a significant step forward for Sulphur following its loss to Gunter, Texas, earlier in the season. The Bulldogs have now opened district play with two victories and remain focused on their ultimate goal.

“The biggest thing was we improved greatly from the last couple of weeks since the loss at Gunter,” Cole said. “Obviously, there’s still lots of things that we gotta get better at, and lots of things that we need to improve if we want to win a district championship.”

Idabel Preview

The Bulldogs now turn their attention to a long road trip to Idabel (2-3) this Friday for a matchup against a team Cole says presents an entirely different challenge.

“This is a trip that we haven’t made in a long, long time,” Cole said. “We will face a very, very fast football team, definitely the fastest team that we have seen so far.”

Cole said Idabel has athletes throughout its lineup and presents challenges on both sides of the football.

“They have athletes all over the field,” he said. “They’re very aggressive defensively and offensively. They like to run it and throw, so it’s gonna be a great challenge for us to contain their speed and for us to be able to combat that with our physical toughness and relentless effort.”

Keys To The Game

For the Bulldogs, the keys to the game are straightforward: play physical, protect the football and continue to improve.

“We must be physical, we must take care of the ball, not turn it over, and make sure that we continue to improve daily this week,” Cole said.

“We look forward to the challenge of the long road trip ahead of us,” he added. “Coach Kincaide has a very talented group of athletes and a really good football team. We must be ready for the challenge.”

Game Recap

Garin Watson’s 72-yard kick-off return for a touchdown to start the game kick-stated one of the biggest shows of firepower this season for the Dogs, both offensively and defensively.

In only 10 seconds, the Dogs defined the trajectory of this decades-long rivalry, and were never challenged at any point in the game. WithAngel Rios’extra point, the Dogs led 7-0, but there would be plenty more scores to follow in a fast and furious first quarter.

The Chieftains fumbled the ensuing kickoff, but managed to keep possession, and began their first offensive series at their own 24. The Dogs made a good play on a long sideline throw, then tackled a runner in the backfield for -2 yards. Another incomplete pass on third down forced them to punt.

Sulphur took over at their own 40, and scored in only seven plays as running back JoJo Gray walked into the end-zone from the three. Big plays in the drive were a 13-yard pass from quarterback Traber Sartors to Drake Wood, and a 16-yard run by Gray. Rios added the PAT kick to give the Dogs a quick 14-0 lead.

On their next possession, the Chieftains found no where to run or throw. In fact, they lost four yards on first down, were stopped for no gain on second down, and threw and incomplete pass on third down. Their fourth down punt didn’t go anywhere either, as Sulphur took over on the Chieftains’ 43.

The Dogs wasted little time in scoring their third TD of the night. Rush Pittman got Sulphur on the march with an 8-yard pass from Sartors, then Gray reeled off a 21-yard gain, and Carter Cole completed the drive with a 25-yard scoring strike from Sartors. Rios’ PAT kick gave the Dogs a 21-0 lead with 6:33 still left in the first quarter.

Seminole gained zero yardage on their next possession, and could only get off a 17-yard punt to their own 27.

From there, it was easy pickins’ as Sartors found Watson on a 27-yard scoring strike, and now the rout was on. With 4:38 still left in the first quarter, the Dogs scored their fourth TD and took a 28-0 lead with Rios’ PAT kick.

On their next possession, the Chieftains were stopped cold on their first two rushing attempts, but did managed to get their first positive yardage in the game, a four-yard pass. Despite their little sliver of offensive success, they tried to punt again but the ball traveled only 11 yards, setting the Dogs up at Seminole’s 36.

Sulphur was flagged for holding on first down, moving them back to the 46, but Gray blasted through a big hole opened up by his offensive line on the next play and raced 46 yards for the score. That give Sulphur a five-touchdown cushion as Rios add the PAT with 2:38 still remaining in the first quarter.

Seminole benefited from 30 yards in Sulphur penalties on two consecutive plays on their next possession, moving them out to their own 49, their deepest point of the game. However, 18 yards in losses forced them into their fifth consecutive punt. Again, the ball didn’t go far as Sulphur took over at their own 41.

With just seconds left in the first quarter, Gray blasted through a hole for 11 yards, then Sartors found Carter Cole on a 48-yard touchdown strike and the Dogs had this one put away after only one quarter of play. Rios booted the PAT to give Sulphur a 42-0 lead.

The Chieftains were able to get about nine yards on their next series, but came up a yard short of a first down, then punted to the Dog’s 34.

With some new faces in the lineup, the Dogs continued their relentless offensive onslaught.

After a 10-yard holding penalty, Dog running back Jackson Haggard blew through the line on a 50-yard gallop, then plunged over from the one two plays later for the score. That gave the Dogs a 48-0 lead with 9:06 still left in the second period.

On their next possession, Seminole took over at their own 28, but lost 13 yards on a bad center snap to the quarterback and eventually were forced to punt.

The Dogs took over at their own 40 as more new faces entered in the lineup.

Sophomore running back Lucas Mitchell peeled off 10 yards on first down, then freshman Blaze Burch ran for 15, followed by sophomore Harrison Taylor’s 9-yard pass from quarterback Ayler Dixon.

A motion penalty set the Dogs back five yards, but Mitchell powered for 24 yards to the seven on the next play. Dixon then negotiated the final four yards on a quarterback run for the score. With 3:05 still remaining in the second quarter, the Dogs held a commanding, 55-0 lead at the half.

Sulphur added a final score early in the third quarter, going 46 yards in nine plays.

Burch started the drive, picking up 11 yards on Sulphur’s first two plays, then freshman Kyler Wallace blasted for runs of 10 yards and 28-yards to the Seminole 13. Burch then ended the drive on a 13-yard scoring run to give the Dog’s their final TD of the night.

The Bulldogs scored on every possession in the game except their next to last after Seminole went on a fourth down.