The Wortham Bulldogs had two wins last season and the future is bright as the Bulldogs notched their fourth win on the year with a 36-20 win on the road in Crossroads, completing the non-district schedule at 4-1.
The Bulldog offense has already surpassed the totals from last season and the running game is verging on becoming a dominant one in the area.
Wortham took the opening kickoff and got two quick runs from Riley Baker and a first down. On a third and 14 from the Bobcat 35, Bulldog quarterback Brandon Coker found his big tight end Demarcus Bullard for 21 yards and a first down into Crossroads territory. Bullard would catch a second pass on the drive, this one for a 21-yard touchdown with 7:48 remaining in the first quarter. Coker ran in the conversion for the early 8-0 lead.
The Bobcats matched the score on their first possession. The 66-yard drive covered six plays and were all on the ground. Alexander Marston finished the drive with a 41 yard rip up the middle for the touchdown and closed the gap to 8-6 when the conversion failed.
The Bulldog offense made it two scores in two possessions with a 67-yard drive. On third and four from the Bulldog 39, Coker followed his offensive line for a 50-yard carry to the Bobcat 11. Three plays later, Coker threw a jump ball to his tight end Bullard, who used his 6’5” frame to grab the pass at the goal line to extend the Wortham lead on the Coker conversion at 16-6.
The teams exchanged possession throughout the remainder of the half and the Bobcats put points on the board on the first possession of the second half. On the eight-play drive, Crossroads mixed the running and passing game and scored on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Townson to Eli Wilson. The run for two failed and the Bobcats remained four points behind at 16-12.
Wortham would get that score back quickly on a drive that featured the running of Baker. He had three straight carries into Bobcat territory and completed the drive with a nine-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 24-12 when Coker ran in the third conversion of the game.
Crossroads would take advantage of the Wortham turnover for the next touchdown on the board. The ball was knocked loose from Coker at midfield and the Bobcats had a 35-yard pass from Townson to Hunter McDonald to the Bulldog 15-yard line. Two plays later, Wilson bulled his way into the endzone for the five-yard touchdown and cut the lead to 24-20 on the conversion.
The Bulldog offense answered on the score again with a nine-play drive capped by a Baker one-yard run. The conversion failed for the first time on the night and the lead stood at 30-20. On the kickoff, the ball bounced out of the hands of the returner and Preston Sterling pounced on the ball on the far sideline and the offense went back on the field. Coker finished the with an 11-yard touchdown run and the conversion failed again and the final score read 36-20.
The Wortham Bulldogs are 4-1 on the season heading into the bye week this Friday. They will begin District 11-2A Division II play at home against the Frost Polar Bears on October 11.
Scott Batts reporting.
