Wartburg Bulldogs Cage the Sunbright Tigers
By Terry Futrell – September 21, 2018
For the Sunbright Tigers, their matchup with the Wartburg Bulldogs turned out to be a case of déjà vu. In a repeat of the Harriman game last week, the Tigers took the opening kickoff and marched quickly downfield to score. Then, just as Harriman did, the Bulldog defense toughened up and the multifaceted Bulldog offense took over. While the Tigers gained 230 yards on the ground and 75 yards in the air, they were unable to sustain drives due to costly penalties and turnovers. The Bulldogs took advantage of a talented group of running backs and receivers to rack up 203 yards on the ground and 239 yards through the air, taking advantage of several big plays to cage the Tigers. The final horn sounded with the Bulldogs claiming an overwhelming 58-14 victory.
Sunbright’s opening drive was a thing of beauty, running through the Wartburg defense at will. John Wayne Freels, Jonathan Hammock, and Ethan Hammock rushed for 59 yards in eight plays, scoring with less than three minutes elapsed in the game. The Bulldogs quickly responded as Saylor Jones returned the kickoff 50 yards, then he and Josh Moore combined rushes for a Bulldog score in barely over a minute. The Bulldogs made the PAT and led 7-6.
Sunbright then took the ball on its own 25 and again marched downfield to the Wartburg 24-yard line, but could go no further and turned the ball over on downs. Highlight of the drive was a 26-yard pass play from John Wayne Freels to Ethan Hammock.
Taking over on its own 24, Wartburg ran the ball twice, then Josh Moore and Caleb McCarty connected on a 68-yard pass for a Bulldog score. The PAT was good and the Bulldogs led 14-6 with just over a minute left in the 1st quarter.
After several short drives in the first half, Sunbright scored again with a 30-yard pass for a touchdown from Freels to Ethan Hammock, making the score 36-14 after the 2-point conversion was successful.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs were pulling more big plays out of their hat, including a 71-yard touchdown run by Josh Moore and a 24-yard pass from Moore to Colby Justes for a touchdown. The Bulldogs led at the half by 44-14.
Wartburg tacked on one additional score in the 3rd quarter on an 80-yard pass play from Josh Moore to Colby Justes, making the score 50-14.
Tyler Davis returned to action in the 4th quarter after missing the first four games of the season with a broken leg. Davis peeled off a 10-yard rushing gain, then a 2-yard run for the Bulldogs’ final touchdown of the night, closing out the scoring 58-14.
Moore had another superlative night, rushing 12 times for 141 yards and three touchdowns. He also completed 10 of 16 passes for 239 yards and 3 touchdowns. Other stellar Bulldog performers included receivers Caleb McCarty, who had two receptions for 89 yards and one touchdown, and Colby Justes, who caught four passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns. Wartburg linebacker Jake Hamby had 10 tackles in the game and also intercepted a pass.
For Sunbright, John Wayne Freels rushed eight times for 65 yards and completed four of 10 passes for 75 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Ethan Hammock rushed 17 times for 72 yards and caught four passes for 75 yards and one touchdown.
Scoring Summary:
|
Qtr 1 |
Qtr 2 | Qtr 3 | Qtr 4 | Total | |
| Wartburg |
14 |
30 | 6 | 8 |
58 |
|
Sunbright |
6 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
14 |