The Quitman Bulldogs rallied in the final minute to defeat Harmony 33-28 Friday night, Oct. 9, scoring the winning touchdown on a pass from Logan Davis to senior Jonathan Hayes.
Trailing 28-27 late in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs drove downfield before Davis connected with Hayes on a slant route for the go-ahead touchdown.
The victory evened Quitman’s overall record at 3-3 and improved its district mark to 1-1. Harmony fell to 0-7 overall and 0-3 in district play.
Quitman’s running game accounted for much of the Bulldogs’ offensive production. Freshman Jayson Wakefield rushed for 148 yards on 18 carries, averaging 8.2 yards per attempt and scoring two touchdowns.
Senior fullback Ben Boisclair added 124 yards on 14 carries, an average of 8.9 yards per carry, and scored a touchdown. Brandon Samaniego contributed 32 yards on seven carries, averaging 4.6 yards per attempt.
The Bulldogs finished with 315 rushing yards, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. Quitman added over 85 passing yards for 400 yards of total offense. Hayes caught two passes for 53 yards, including the game-winning touchdown
Head coach Shane Webber credited his players for maintaining their composure throughout the game.
“I’m so proud of our kids for staying focused, especially when we got behind. They never panicked, but kept their heads in the game and they knew what had to be done,” Webber said.
Webber also recognized the work of offensive linemen Dax Whitehurst, Luke Ferguson, Wesley Irwin, Riley Mason and Jaxon Bender.
“Wesley Irwin is a good example of our kids this year. He was on offense, but we needed him to step up on the line when we had injuries. He was ready to do whatever we asked and that’s how all our kids are. They are a close-knit group of kids and I couldn’t be more proud,” Webber said.
Quitman led 20-13 at halftime, but Webber said the Bulldogs missed an opportunity to build a larger lead before the break.
“We had things going our way in the first half. We should have scored to give us a three score lead, but instead we let them score on a long post route. So instead of a three score lead, the half ended with us ahead 20-13,” Webber said.
Harmony rallied in the second half and took a 28-27 lead late in the fourth quarter, setting up Quitman’s final scoring drive.
“Coming into the second half, the teams played to a stalemate. We scored, but they came right back to score and put them up 28-27. With less than 1:30 left in the game we drove it down. We told the kids to just stay calm and keep doing what we have been doing and then we hit Johnny (Hayes) on a slant route coming inside and he winds up scoring,” Webber said.
Webber said the Bulldogs missed the extra point but held a 33-28 lead. Harmony gained good field position on the ensuing kickoff, but Quitman’s defense applied pressure, and Raphael Samaniego recorded a strip-sack to seal the victory.
The win keeps Quitman in contention for a postseason berth as the Bulldogs seek their first playoff appearance in more than a decade.
Quitman will face another challenge Friday night when the Bulldogs host undefeated Grand Saline, which enters the contest 7-0 and ranked eighth in the state.