Meigs County Defeats Wartburg in “Perfect Storm”

By Terry Futrell – October 27, 2018

The Wartburg Central High School Bulldogs ran into the perfect storm Friday evening as they lost to the Meigs County Tigers 39-6. What better way to throttle the Bulldogs high-impact offense than to play on a field that received over an inch of rain in the previous 24 hours and on which rain drizzled throughout the game. Add to the recipe the number one ranked team in the state as an opponent and … well, the rest of the story should be obvious.

With an offense that depends on solid footing for making quick, darting moves in their running attack, the Bulldogs were handicapped by the weather and turf conditions. The long passes by the Bulldogs that have been so successful throughout the season require good footing for speedy receivers to establish separation, and that was not possible in this game. The big and strong Meigs County defensive line played a not-so-small role, also, often overpowering the Bulldog offensive line and making life generally difficult for quarterback Josh Moore. The result was a disappointing 74 yards total offense for the Bulldogs, 52 yards rushing in 29 attempts and 22 yards passing (5 completions out of 11 attempts).

Meanwhile, the size and strength of the Tigers’ offense allowed them to play smash-mouthed football, generally running right up the gut of the Wartburg defense. Due to their style of play, the poor field conditions appeared to affect the Tigers much less than it did the Bulldogs. As a result, Meigs County chewed up 272 yards in 32 rushing attempts. Like Wartburg, Meigs County found conditions not very amenable to passing and completed only one of seven attempts for 34 yards.

Though the Bulldog defense bent early in the game, they did not break and twice denied the Tigers a score in the first quarter when Meigs County was in the Red Zone. In fact, the Tigers’ offense was unable to score in the first quarter. However, on Wartburg’s third possession, the Tigers’ defense intercepted a Josh Moore pass and ran it back for a touchdown. The Bulldogs had another costly turnover in the first quarter resulting from a fumble that was recovered by Meigs County. At the end of the first quarter, the Bulldogs were down only 7-0 and optimism mingled with the rainy mist that filled the air.

Early in the second quarter, Meigs County took over on their own 29-yard line and marched downfield in eight plays, scoring on a 10-yard run. Trailing 14-0, the Bulldogs began their drive on their own 22-yard line and made a first down, their first of the game, before the drive halted. Wartburg faked a punt and ran for the first down but came up short. Meigs County took over on downs at the Wartburg 45. The Tigers then ran the ball right at Wartburg, concluding the drive by scoring on a 33-yard run.

After another failed drive, Bulldog Colby Justes kicked a 40-yard punt, but Meigs County returned it 24 yards to the Wartburg 34-yard line. Meigs County then had their only pass completion of the game, a 34-yard toss that went all the way to the end zone for a touchdown. Meigs carried a 27-0 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Tigers received the ball to open the second half and began their drive at their own 40. After advancing to the Wartburg 40-yard line, the Bulldog defense toughened up and Meigs County turned the ball over on downs. After another failed Bulldog drive, Meigs County took over at their own 20 and drove downfield to score on a 17-yard run. The Tigers failed on a 2-point conversion attempt and led 33-0 going into the fourth quarter.

Wartburg’s Saylor Jones returned the ensuing kickoff 26 yards to initiate the Bulldogs only successful drive of the game. The drive was highlighted by a 9-yard pass from Josh Moore to Caleb McCarty, followed by 13- and 14-yard runs by Moore. The Bulldogs scored on a 6-yard pass from Moore to Tyler Davis. The extra point attempt failed and the Bulldogs trailed 33-6.

Meigs County then returned the Josh Moore kickoff 100 yards for another touchdown late in the fourth quarter. The conversion failed and the Tigers took a 39-6 victory home to Decatur.

It was not a pretty game by anyone’s standards, as it was marred by numerous penalties. Meigs County appeared to take the term “smash-mouthed football” literally and was called for back-to-back personal fouls late in the first quarter. The Tigers were also hit with three costly holding penalties. The Bulldogs got into the act as well and suffered a costly holding penalty when deep in their own territory at the 18-yard line. At one point, offsetting personal fouls were called against both teams.

Even with the defeat, Wartburg earned a spot in the TSSAA playoffs for the first time since 2011. The Bulldogs travel to South Greene next Friday, November 2, to take on the Rebels at 7:00 PM.