Wartburg Falls to South Greene
By Terry Futrell – November 3, 2018
It was a big day for the Wartburg Central High School Bulldogs as they traveled to remote Greene County on Friday to take on South Greene in Round 1 of the TSSAA Class 2A playoffs. No Bulldog team had made it to the playoffs since 2011, and this team had aspirations of knocking off the top-seeded Rebels from Region 1. While the Bulldogs fell short of that goal, the team put forth one of its best efforts against South Greene in the 44-26 loss.
Whereas the Bulldog defense had struggled in previous games against highly rated teams, the defense gave the Bulldog offense the opportunity to execute 57 plays, three more than South Greene. The Bulldog offense did not disappoint, churning out 134 yards rushing in 34 attempts and 196 yards passing, completing 12 of 23 passes. The Rebels completed 4 of 8 passes for only 35 yards but rushed for 394 yards in 46 attempts. It was a credible performance by the 4th-seeded Bulldogs against the top-seeded Rebels.
Wartburg’s opening drive was hobbled by two critical penalties, one for holding and an illegal shift. South Greene took over on their own 38 and moved to the Wartburg 31 where Jake Hamby sacked the quarterback and the Bulldogs took over on downs.
Josh Moore scampered 32 yards to the South Greene 39. The Bulldogs drove to the South Greene 9-yard line, aided by a 25-yard pass from Moore to Saylor Jones. The Rebel defense held, and South Greene took over on downs at their own 11-yard line. After rushes of 6 and 8 yards, South Greene broke loose for a 75-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter, followed by a 2-point conversion, and led 8-0.
Wartburg’s next drive began at their own 35. The Bulldogs advanced to the South Greene 5-yard line, with receptions by Tyler Davis of 15, 16, and 3 yards. The Bulldog drive was stopped by a fumble that was recovered by South Greene for a touchback.
The Rebels advanced to their 49-yard line where the Bulldog defense held and forced a punt. Josh Moore then began the Wartburg drive at the 17-yard line, carrying the ball on the first play for 18 yards. After two incompletions, the Bulldogs were stopped and forced to punt from their own 36.
South Greene began their next drive at their own 34, driving in 13 plays to the Wartburg 4-yard line. From there the Rebels ran the ball in for a touchdown and scored a 2-point conversion, taking a 16-0 lead just as the first half ended.
South Greene received the ball at their own 47 to open the second half, and quickly marched downfield to score. The 2-point conversion was successful and the Rebels led 24-0.
The next Wartburg drive was all Josh Moore. Beginning at the Wartburg 41, Moore ran the ball six consecutive times, scoring from the 4-yard line on the last carry. Moore then unsuccessfully ran for the 2-point conversion and Wartburg trailed 24-6.
Aided by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Bulldogs, South Greene began its next drive at mid-field, quickly moving the ball on a 30-yard run to the Wartburg 20. Bulldog Robert Williams then stepped up and tackled the Rebel runner 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage at the 35. The Rebels drive halted and Wartburg took over on downs at their own 22-yard line. Josh Moore was sacked at the 16-yard line, and on the next play, the Rebels recovered a Wartburg fumble at the 2. Two plays later the Rebels scored, then missed the conversion, to take a 30-6 lead.
Wartburg took the short kickoff and began its next drive at the Bulldog’s 45-yard line. The Bulldogs drove to the end zone, scoring on a 15-yard pass from Moore to Caleb McCarty. The conversion failed and the Bulldogs trailed 30-12 early in the fourth quarter.
Bulldog Ethan Stedam tried an onside kick that was successfully recovered by Samuel McCarty at the South Greene 48. Moore then connected with Caleb McCarty on a 48-yard scoring pass. Moore successfully ran the 2-point conversion, cutting the Rebel lead to 30-20.
South Greene then marched downfield in nine plays, scoring on a run from the Wartburg 8-yard line. The conversion was successful and Wartburg trailed 38-20. Wartburg then went four-and-out, turning the ball over on downs at the Wartburg 40. South Greene ran the ball three times, scoring on a 4-yard run. The conversion failed and the Rebels led 44-20.
Wartburg had time for one last drive that began at the Bulldog 43-yard line. Moore connected with Colby Justes for 35 yards, then completed passes to Caleb McCarty of 6 and 11 yards. With first and goal on the 5, Moore ran the ball twice, scoring from the 3-yard line. The conversion failed, and the Rebels moved on with a 44-26 victory.
While the Bulldogs failed to knock off the Rebels, they proved that they can hang in there with top-rated teams. The Bulldogs never gave up and were most productive in the fourth quarter. The game wrapped up a highly successful season for several of the bulldogs, as shown by the following season stats.
- Josh Moore closed out the season with 109 carries for 696 yards and 12 touchdowns. Moore completed 92 of 160 passes for 1,443 yards and 19 touchdowns. Moore had a total of 31 touchdowns (rushing and passing), the most ever achieved in a season by a Wartburg Bulldog.
- Caleb McCarty had 27 catches for 751 yards and 11 touchdowns.
- Colby Justes caught 20 passes for 441 yards and 6 touchdowns.
- Saylor Jones ended the season with 22 catches for 171 yards, two touchdowns, and 75 tackles.
- Josh Laymance had 36.5 tackles and sacked opposing quarterbacks 5 times.
- Jack Hamby had 35 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 1 sack.