The Wortham Bulldogs scored two touchdowns in the second quarter to build and lead and cruise to a 40-28 win over the Cayuga Wildcats and begin the season 2-0.
The Wortham offense benefitted from a huge night from running back Stephon Ester (below). He carried 26 times for 213 and rushed for two touchdowns and caught another.
Cayuga took the opening kickoff and marched down the field. The 13-play drive consumed almost six minutes and ended with a Ryder Sparkman five-yard run. The extra point was good and the Wildcats jumped out to a 7-0 lead.
The Bulldogs quickly answered on their second offensive play. Ester took the handoff and out ran the Wildcat defense for a 63-yard touchdown run and Hunter Turner converted the point after for a 7-7 tie.
Wortham recovered the kickoff when Hunter Waggener jumped for the loose ball. Again, on the second play of the drive, quarterback Kemontrell Jackson tossed to Ryan Mao for the 24-yard pass and run. Turner again made the extra point and the Bulldogs had a 14-7 lead.
The teams exchanged punts in the first minutes of the second quarter and Wortham regained the lead. The Bulldogs took over at their own 39-yard line and Ester had three runs over ten yards. From the Wildcat 20, Dalton Sandlin took the inside handoff and raced up the middle for the touchdown. The point after was no good and the Bulldogs led 20-14.
Dylan Martin ended the next Cayuga drive with a sack and Jackson threw an interception to give the ball back to the Wildcats. With 22 second remaining in the first half, Jackson tossed a pass out to Ester and he took care of the rest, completing a 45-yard score. The try for two failed and the Bulldogs had a 26-14 halftime lead.
Wortham opened up a big lead in the first possession of the second half. Ester had seven carries in an eight-play drive and the Bulldog offense powered through to an 11-yard Ester run for the score. The pass for two failed and the Bulldogs had a 32-14 lead.
Cayuga counter with an 11-play drive that put them back into the game. Robert Buckley scored on a one-yard run and Sparkman added the conversion to cut the lead to 32-22.
(Kicking the ball into play is Wortham Bulldog Blake Looney – Above)
The Bulldogs needed only three plays to rebuild the lead. Ester had a couple of runs and Sandlin added his second touchdown of the night with a 24-yard burst up the middle. Braxton Whaley passed to Waggener for the two-point conversion for the 40-22 lead.
A twelve-yard pass finished the scoring for the Wildcats cut the lead to 40-28 and the game would end that way.
Wortham will host the Rosebud-Lott Cougars behind the walls at Bulldog Stadium on Friday night. It will be a battle of two undefeated teams.
(Photos by Melissa Perez)
