The Wortham Bulldogs had the lead for less than five minutes in the home finale, but that was enough to secure a 48-40 thrilling win and claim the second-place spot in District 10-2A Division II.
The Mart Panthers move onto the state playoffs as the District 10-2A Division II champion and will play Linden-Kildare. Wortham will take on Clarksville on Friday at 7pm at Eustace. Dawson will play Maud on Friday in Arp, and Hico takes on Simms Bowie to close out the playoff pairings.
Dawson took the first possession and marched down the field. They needed nine plays to go 87 yards and Brant Boatright hit Hastin Easley for the 23-yard touchdown pass with 7:59 remaining in the opening quarter. Boatright threw to Jace Johnson for the conversion and Dawson led 8-0.
Wortham went on an impressive first drive to cut into the lead. They travelled 66 yards in 13 plays and Tanner Bean scored on a six-yard run with just over a minute remaining in the quarter. The conversion was no good and the Dawson Bulldogs held an 8-6 lead.
Dawson scored on their second possession in less than 30 seconds. Boatright had two completions in the 51-yard drive, the second one good for a 23-yard touchdown. The conversion was no good and Dawson extended the lead to 14-6.
On the final play of the first quarter, Bean had the ball knocked out of his hands and Bryce Bode recovered at the Wortham 29-yard line. Four plays later they would miss on fourth down and Wortham would take over.
On the drive, senior quarterback Ryken Lewis passed up the middle to Cash Perez for a 24-yard connection, but the drive would stall there and the Bulldogs had to punt. Lewis hit a 50-yard punt that rolled down to the Dawson seven-yard line. They could not gain a first down and were forced to punt and defensive lineman Anthony Fortoul reached up and blocked the punt. Yancey Bean covered for Wortham and the Bulldogs took over at the Dawson 15-yard line.
Wortham needed only one play to even the score. Bean took the handoff and had a guided escort of linemen for the touchdown run. Offensive lineman Jason Evans scored the conversion run and the score was tied 14-14 midway through the second quarter.
Dawson answered with the third touchdown pass of the half and it was the third touchdown reception to Easley, this one covering 33 yards to put the Dawson Bulldogs ahead at the half 22-14 when Boatright and Johnson connected for the conversion.
Wortham opened the second half with a punishing drive using the wishbone formation and a huge offensive line. Yancey Bean had four carries on the drive and Tanner Bean added a couple. Yancey Bean pushed through for a one-yard touchdown run and the Bulldogs cut the lead to 22-20. The run by Lewis was stopped short and the Dawson Bulldogs held the two-point lead.
Dawson would continue to answer and on the next possession, Boatright completed four of five passes on the drive, the last an eight-yard touchdown pass, his fourth and it was to Easley, his fourth of the game. The pass for two was no good and the lead remained at one score at 28-20.
Wortham needed two plays for the answering score. Tanner Bean broke through on a 36-yard touchdown and the 52-yard drive was completed in quick fashion. The conversion run was no good and the score remained 28-26 with 4:49 remaining in the third quarter.
Dawson returned the score back to an eight-point lead on their next drive. Three running plays and a short pass converting a third down and the Boatright threw his fifth touchdown pass of the night, this one covering 41 yards to Isaac Johnson. The Wortham defense again held Dawson short on the conversion and the lead was 34-26 with slightly under three minutes remaining in the third.
Wortham had one more score in the wild third quarter. Yancey Bean broke away from the Dawson defense for a 51-yard run down to the Dawson five-yard line. Tanner Bean scored on a four-yard run with 1:08 remaining in the third quarter. Yancey Bean added the conversion, the only one by either team in the third, and the score was tied at 34-34.
Wortham had a huge defensive stand to keep Dawson from scoring. Five passing plays, the last on a tipped pass, and the Dawson offense was stalled at the Wortham 38-yard line.
The Wortham Bulldogs continued to operate out of the wishbone formation and began to take control of the line of scrimmage. Tanner Bean ripped off a 25-yard run and Yancey Bean had a key five yard run to convert a third down. On second down from the four-yard line, Lewis scored on a quarterback keeper from four yards out and took their first lead of the game with 7:09 remaining in the game. The run for two was no good and the Wortham Bulldogs led 40-34.
Dawson got just what they needed to put the game back even. The Bulldogs marched 60 yards, taking 14 plays for the game tying touchdown. Boatright passed to Jace Johnson for 15 yards to set up a fourth down that was converted on a pass to Chance Thomas. A second completion to Demarcus Jackson moved the chains on fourth down. With 2:05 remaining in the game, Boatright passed to Isaac Johnson for the four-yard score. Boatright finished with six touchdown passes in the game and the Dawson Bulldogs led 40-34.
Wortham would get the big play from the special teams that they needed for the win. Kick returner Kymani Johnson ran up the near side, breaking a couple of tackles for a 50-yard return to the Dawson 30. Yancey Bean had a couple of runs and he would run for three yards converting on third down inside the ten and the Bulldogs called a timeout.
On first and goal from the seven, Tanner Bean ran behind his offensive line for a seven-yard touchdown run with :16 remaining in the game. Tanner Bean would add the conversion run and the Bulldogs opened up their largest lead of the game at 48-40.
Dawson had one final shot and completed a short pass and on the final play, Perez and Fortoul sacked Boatright and jarred the ball loose, a couple of lateral attempts were to no avail and the Wortham Bulldogs won the pivotal district game 48-40.
(Photos by Jennifer Lansford)
