The Wortham Bulldogs posted 30 points in the second quarter and they posted a 69-6 win in the district 10-2A Division II opener at Hubbard Friday night.
The Bulldog win did not come without adversity. The Bulldogs fumbled away possession on their first two possessions but the Wortham defense had a takeaway on a fumble recovery by Jason Evans to ease the early Bulldog mistakes. Yancey Bean added a sack and a short punt was the break the Bulldogs needed to get into rhythm and the rest of the half was dominating.
Senior quarterback Ryken Lewis ran for 19 yards and then completed a 16-yard pass to Jon Ross Black. He caught a second pass on the drive down to the Jaguar one yard line and Tanner Bean crossed the goal line and the Bulldogs had an 8-0 with the Bean conversion midway through the first quarter.
Hubbard fumbled the kickoff and Chris Chasteen recovered and the Bulldogs got the offense in motion. Cash Perez caught an 18-yard pass and Bean covered the remaining 23 yards and the 16-0 lead on the Bean conversion.
The Jaguars had to punt on their next possession and the Bulldogs took over at their own 14-yard line. Lewis had a 29-yard run to convert a third down and a personal foul added 15 yards to the run. Lewis found Perez up the seam and a stiff arm later, he would score on a 35-yard touchdown pass and run. Bean added the conversion run for the 24-0 lead with 1:40 remaining in the first quarter.
After a Jaguar punt, the Bulldogs made quick work of the possession when Bean took the handoff and weaved through the Hubbard defense on a 53-yard touchdown run. The conversion failed and the Bulldog lead extended to 30-0.
Hubbard would get on the board with their only score of the game. Junior athlete Kendon Johnson converted a third down on a 20 yard.
Johnson lined up at quarterback and dumped a short pass to Kevin Whitworth and the 45-yard touchdown cut the lead to 30-6 on the missed conversion.
The Bulldogs began at midfield and Lewis completed the pass to Isaiah Tull down to the Hubbard 15-yard line. Bean ran the final 15 yards for his fourth touchdown of the game. Lewis threw to Perez for the conversion and the Bulldog lead was 38-6.
On the next punt, returner Derek Bullard raced 25 yards into Hubbard territory and the Bulldogs had another one play drive, this time Kymani Johnson busted through the Hubbard defense for a 27-yard touchdown. He also added the conversion for the 46-6 lead.
Wortham added their final touchdown of the first half on a drive that began with a Bullard interception. Lewis threw into the right flat and Bullard took off on a 55-yard play and was tackled with just over one second remaining in the half. The next play Bullard was knocked down and the pass interference moved the offense to the Hubbard ten-yard line. Bean scored on the ten-yard run and Johnson added the conversion and the Bulldogs led 54-6 at the half.
The second half featured a running clock and the Bulldog reserves continued to move the offense with ease. Jon Ross Black took over at quarterback and led the Wortham offense and scored on his three-yard run. The Bulldogs line up for the extra point for the first time this season and Bullard booted it through for the 61-6 lead.
The Bulldogs would run the final ten minutes off the clock moving 65 yards in eight plays. Senior running back Preston Batts went over the right side of the offensive line to the front corner of the end zone for the 20-yard touchdown for the final score of the night. There was still some excitement left in the night on the extra point. The snap was mishandled and it bounced into Bullard’s hands and he ran in the conversion for the final score of 69-9.
Tanner Bean had 113 yards on nine carries and five touchdowns and Ryken Lewis completed all six of his passes for 173 yards and a touchdown.
Wortham, Mart and Hico took opening night wins in District 10-2A Division II. Wortham will return home to take on the Meridian Yellowjackets on Friday night at historic Bulldog Stadium. The Yellowjackets lost to the Mart Panthers 67-0.
(Photos by Melissa Perez)
