Bulldogs lose to Bears in back-and-forth game

DECATUR — In a monumental battle of epic proportions, the Decatur Bulldogs hosted the Spring Hill Bears for the first time in the second home eight-man football contest at Bulldog Stadium Friday night. But a pair of touchdowns in the latter stages of the second half gave the Bears the win by 12 points.

With less than a minute off the clock in the first quarter, quarterback Colin Purifoy handed off to running back Trenten Searcy at the Spring Hill 20-yard line, resulting in an 80-yard touchdown run and putting the Bears up by six. A Purifoy to Cody Wright conversion attempt failed, making the score 6-0.

On Spring Hill’s next possession Purifoy found Searcy once again for a 40-yard reception and 15-yard run into the end zone for the Bears’ second touchdown in two minutes. Decatur managed to stop the conversion attempt, resulting in Spring Hill ahead by 12.

A short time later, a 20-yard run by Roger Hernandez found the end zone for Decatur’s first touchdown of the night. A quarterback keeper by Bryson Funk crossed the goal line for the 2-point conversion, cutting the Spring Hill lead to four.

Purifoy made it across the goal line on a quarterback keeper for the Bears’ third TD of the first quarter. Decatur foiled the Bears’ conversion attempt again but Spring Hill widened its lead to 10.

At the 8:45 mark in the first quarter, a short pass from Funk to Carlos Hernandez resulted in an 80-yard touchdown run and the Bulldogs’ second score of the night. The point-after attempt failed. Spring Hill remained up by four.

With three and a half minutes left in the first quarter, a pass from Funk to Travor Gerner resulted in the Bulldogs’ go-ahead touchdown. Funk’s quarterback keeper crossed the goal line for a 22-18 lead for the Bulldogs.

A short time later, Springs Hill’s Colin Watson found the end zone for six. Purifoy’s twopoint conversion attempt was good, putting the Bears back in front by four once again as time expired in the first quarter.

Three minutes into the second quarter, Decatur’s Kevin Sanchez crossed the goal line for six points. The pointafter attempt failed, but the Bulldogs had the lead once again, this time by two, 28-26.

With less than three minutes left in the first half, a handoff from Purifoy to Searcy resulted in yet another touchdown for the Bears. Purifoy elected to keep the ball on the two-point conversion which barely crossed the goal line, putting Spring Hill up by a touchdown, 32-28, to end the first half.

The second half of the contest slowed down a bit until the 6:30 mark when a pass from Funk to Sanchez crossed the goal line for six. The point after was good, putting the Bulldogs back in control of the contest, 35-32. This would be the final touchdown for the Bulldogs.

A touchdown in the closing minute of the third quarter, coupled with another late in the fourth quarter, gave the Spring Hill Bears the 4435 win over the Decatur Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs will be back in action on Sept. 25 for Decatur Homecoming at Bulldog Stadium for a 7 p.m. start time.

Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS Bulldog Landon Watson (center) leaps up to catch a Bryson Funk pass from deep inside Bulldog territory Friday during the first quarter of the Decatur-Spring Hill game in Decatur. The ball hit its target, and Watson managed another five yards before being tackled near the 15-yard line.

Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS Bryson Funk (12) takes a high snap from his center, forcing Funk to leap into the air to catch the ball Friday during the Decatur-Spring Hill football contest at Bulldog Stadium in Decatur. Funk was able to successfully pass the ball downfield for a large Bulldog gain.