The Wortham Bulldogs had three defensive stops in the second half and set up two scores to push the Bulldogs to a season opening win 24-12 Friday night in Valley Mills.
The Bulldogs have won their last six opening games and 12 of their last 13 and it has gotten them off to a good start.
The teams exchanged two punts each in the first ten minutes of the game, the fourth off the foot of Yancey Bean, pinning the Eagles back at their own two-yard line. On the first play of the drive, senior linebacker Jesse Saldana forced his way into the backfield and scored a safety with a tackle in the endzone. Wortham took an early 2-0.
Six more punts for the remainder of the half sent the teams into the locker room with the Bulldogs clinging to that same 2-0 advantage.
The Bulldogs fumbled on the second play of from scrimmage and the Eagles began on the Bulldog 35-yard line. Blayne Griner passed to Preston Southern for a first down inside the 25-yard line and later he was sacked by Bulldog defensive lineman James Johnson. Andrew Rodriguez ran for 20 yards to the Bulldog four and would later finish the drive with a four-yard touchdown run to take the lead. The conversion pass was no good, but the Eagles led 6-2 midway through the third quarter.
Wortham matched the score and regained the lead with an eight play, 69-yard drive and took almost four minutes off the clock. Senior quarterback Jon Ross Black had five carries on the drive and completed a 24-yard pass to Kymani Johnson for a key first down. Black capped the drive with a one-yard run and Yancey Bean added the conversion run and the Bulldogs held a 10-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs turned the ball over on downs after an eleven-play drive stalled at the Valley Mills 32-yard line. On the first play of the Eagles drive, Bean reached in and pulled the ball out and James Johnson picked it out of the air and raced inside the five-yard line. Black made it a one play drive on a short run and the Bulldogs extended the lead to 16-6.
Valley Mills would draw the lead to 16-12 on a Jasean Johnson seven-yard run, completing a 62-yard drive. Wortham had a short punt, and the Eagles were driving for the lead with less than four minutes remaining. The Eagles converted one first down and Johnson was tripped up and fumbled. Ke’Marion Stelivan recovered the fumble, and the Bulldogs needed to close out the game.
The Bulldogs turned the ball over on the next play and Valley Mills had it at the Wortham 33. After two bad snap exchanges the Eagles faced a fourth and 31. Griner had his pass picked off by defensive back Trynen Cawthorn and he used his blocking to weave through the defenders for a 73-yard interception return for the clinching touchdown. Black passed to Evan McCoslin for the conversion and the lead grew to 24-12.
The Wortham Bulldogs will remain on the road when they travel to Rio Vista to take on the Eagles.
