Bulldogs lose by two to Savages in homecoming contest
DECATUR — The Decatur Bulldogs put up a gallant fight Friday night as the team squared off against the Quinton, Okla., Savages for the 2019 homecoming football contest at Bulldog Stadium. But the Bulldogs’ hope of a homecoming victory quickly faded away in the closing seconds of the game when the Savages took the contest by two.
The first quarter got off to a great start for the Bulldogs as they scored the first touchdown of the game on their first drive with a Bryson Funk to Carlos Hernandez pass for six. Decatur tried for a two-point conversion but it fell short of the goal line.
Halfway through the quarter, Trey Jessen found the end zone for the Savages’ first six points. Cody Mcclendon completed the conversion, giving Quinton its first lead, 8-6, over Decatur. Quinton’s quarterback, Gavin Glynn, ran the ball into the end zone for the final touchdown in the first quarter, building the Savages’ lead to 14-6.
Bulldog’s Sam Philpott recovered a fumble at the Decatur 15-yard line. Seth Coleman made a 31-yard run, putting the Bulldogs at midfield when Philpott broke away and ran the ball 54 yards into the end zone for Decatur’s second touchdown. However, a Bulldog penalty nullified the touchdown, sending the ball back deep into Decatur’s own territory.
The only scoring opportunity for either team during the second quarter came when Hernandez stripped the ball away from Savages’ Glynn at the Decatur 49-yard line. Decatur failed to capitalize on the drive and the first half came to a close with Quinton holding on to a 14-6 lead going into the locker room.
A quarterback keeper by Glynn and a successful conversion extended the Savages’ lead to 14 about halfway through the third quarter. But the Bulldogs cut the lead with another touchdown by Hernandez. The conversion failed, giving Quinton a 22-12 lead over Decatur. A short time later, Hernandez found the end zone once again, closing the gap to four. But a Bulldog personal foul on the play once again nullified the touchdown for the second time and Quinton continued to hold its 10 point lead over the Bulldogs going into the final quarter of the contest.
A fumble recovery by Decatur set the stage for a spectacular 80-yard touchdown run by Coleman, pulling the Bulldogs to within four. For the third time in the contest, a Bulldog personal foul called the touchdown back and the score remained 22-12, Savages.
The Bulldogs were able to pull themselves together two possessions later with a touchdown run by Philpott and a conversion by Sanchez, cutting the lead to two.
With 59 seconds left in the contest, Quinton was on the Decatur 10-yard line with four downs to cross the goal. The Decatur defense stayed fast and regained the possession at its own 13-yard line with less than 30 seconds remaining. Time simply ran out for Decatur and Quinton claimed the victory, 22-20.