The Wortham Bulldogs opened the season with a win for the seventh time in the last eight seasons with a 34-6 win over the Itasca Wampus Cats at Patton Field Friday night.
The Bulldog offense was a bit sluggish in the early going but they got moving and the game became a runaway.
The teams exchanged punts on their first drives and Itasca took nine plays and reached the Bulldog 12-yard line and gave the ball up on downs. Dawson Norcross and Lane McDaniel knocked Alex Andrade out of bounds and Wortham took over.
Two penalties pushed the Bulldogs back to their own four-yard line and then the offense took flight. Bulldog running back Tanner Bean took the snap and ran through the right side of the offensive line and off to the races. He was hit at the five-yard line and the ball bounded into the end zone. Bean pounced on it for the 96-yard touchdown play near the end of the first quarter. Diego Saravia added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
The defense dominated the second quarter until late when the Bulldogs went back to the big play. On second down from the Wortham 25-yard line, Bulldog quarterback Ryken Lewis dumped a short pass to Bean on the far sideline and he took it the distance, completing a 75-yard catch and run. Saravia added the point after for a 14-0 lead.
Wortham kicked off following the touchdown and Itasca would answer quickly. Gavin Sewell took the short kick and picked up a couple of blocks and scored on the 65-yard kickoff return.
The run for two failed and that would end the scoring for the first half, with Wortham ahead 14- 6.
Wortham moved the ball out of the shadow of their own endzone numerous times on the night, beginning four drives inside their 20-yard line.
Near the end of the third quarter, the Bulldogs hit another score off a big play. Itasca had a short punt and Bean scooped it up and finished with a 16-yard return to the Wortham 36.
Bean took the ball on the first and only play of the drive, weaving through the defense and scoring on a 64-yard touchdown run. The extra point was good by Saravia and the Bulldogs stretched the lead to 21- 6.
Itasca punted on the next drive and Bean made that a one play drive. He took the handoff and raced for a 58-yard scored early in the fourth quarter. Lane McDaniel scored on a 26-yard run late in the game to seal the 34- 6 win.
Bean had 256 yards rushing and three touchdowns and added 91 yards receiving and another score. Throw in 30 yards passing and 31 return yards and Bean had 408 all-purpose yards on the night.
The Wortham win was a bright spot in a six-month time of uncertainty in high school sports and it was great to see the young men compete again. The Wortham Bulldogs will travel to Travis to take on the Rosebud-Lott Cougars in the second game of the season.
(Photos by Melissa Perez)
