Ball control and a rugged defense led the Quitman Bulldogs to a 19-6 season-opening victory over Como-Pickton in front of a large home crowd.
Head coach Shane Webber was pleased with the victory but said there is still room for improvement.
“We need to be consistent and stay away from the penalties. I’m proud of our kids for their effort. The offensive line did a good job for our backs. We were able to get eight to nine players involved in touching the ball on offense,” Webber said.
The Bulldogs will need to cut down on penalties to continue being successful. They were flagged 10 times for 70 yards in the contest.
As a sign of things to come, the Bulldogs took the opening kickoff and drove from their own 36-yard line to the Eagles’ 11 before turning the ball over on downs. Quitman ran 16 rushing plays and completed one pass on the drive, taking nearly 10 minutes off the first-quarter clock.
Como-Pickton managed only four plays before the end of the quarter, which ended scoreless.
“We have got to find ways to finish when we get in the red zone. We drove deep into their end of the field and did not score. When you get to the 10-yard line, you have to find ways to finish it. I thought our line and our backs looked good. We had a good offensive game plan and made it work,” Webber said.
Webber then shifted to his review of the defense.
“On defense, for the most part, we executed really, really well. It’s good to have a win,” Webber said.
The Bulldogs struck first in the second quarter when senior fullback Ben Boisclair bulled over from the 2-yard line. The score capped another long drive, this one covering 11 plays.
Quitman surprised the Eagles with a pair of big pass plays on the drive. Junior quarterback Logan Davis connected with senior Jonathan Hayes for a 39-yard gain and hit Wesley Irwin for 23 yards.
Boisclair’s touchdown came with just over a minute remaining in the first half, and the Bulldogs took a 7-0 lead into the locker room.
Como-Pickton scored its only touchdown in the third quarter on a 39-yard run by Cristian Munoz. The two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving Quitman with a 7-6 lead.
The Bulldogs answered with a 39-yard touchdown run by freshman Jayson Wakefield to increase the lead to 13-6. Junior Creedence Runyon later added a 5-yard touchdown run for the final 19-6 margin.
Davis showed strong leadership at quarterback, while Boisclair was outstanding on both sides of the football. Davis completed 4 of 7 passes for 112 yards. Boisclair ran effectively and made several crucial stops from his linebacker position to help contain the Eagles’ ground game.
Ty Hankins made a key defensive play when he chased down an Eagle runner after a 62-yard gain. The Como-Pickton runner reached the Quitman 11, but the Bulldog defense, led by lineman Dax Whitehurst, kept the Eagles out of the end zone.
Without that run and one other long gain, the Bulldogs would have held the Como-Pickton offense to just over 100 total yards.
“We had a few mess-ups, but we pushed the ball and fought hard for the whole game. We need to do a better job remembering the plays and studying the playbook,” Davis said.
Quitman now turns its attention to Union Grove. The Bulldogs will travel to face the 1-0 Lions, who opened their season with a 45-22 road victory over Queen City.
The Bulldogs will have their hands full with the Union Grove running game. The Lions used a balanced attack against Queen City, led by running back Hudson Wightman, who rushed for 181 yards, averaging 11.3 yards per carry, and three touchdowns. He also recorded an interception on defense.
Quarterback Brysen Porter added 91 rushing yards and two touchdowns while completing 4 of 8 passes for 39 yards.
Defensively, Daniel Ferguson recorded 15 tackles, including four for loss, while Andy Peck had 11 tackles and a sack.
“They do have a really good football team, a solid defense and the quarterback is a tough one. We will have to stop their quarterback if we are going to win. They have a lot of guys back from last year’s playoff team, so they are experienced,” Webber said.
Porter is one of East Texas’ top performers at quarterback. He helped lead Union Grove to the playoffs last season, where the Lions lost in the bi-district round. Union Grove rushed for 362 yards in its opener, presenting another significant challenge for the Bulldog defense.
“Union Grove is well-coached, as was Como-Pickton. Union Grove will spread their offense out and run from the spread. The quarterback, Porter, is a good runner and passer, while the running back, Wightman, is also very good,” Webber said.
The Lions compete in District 11-2A Division I with Paul Pewitt, Beckville, Harleton, Ore City and Waskom.