Wartburg Prevails Over Sunbright in “Mud Bowl”
By Terry Futrell
With both teams eliminated from playoff contention, the Friday evening matchup between cross-county rivals Wartburg Bulldogs and Sunbright Tigers had all the elements of a post-season bowl game. Playing in continuous rain on a field that was more mush than turf, it was a game in which adaptation and survival meant as much as skills displayed earlier in the season. In the end, it was the Bulldogs who prevailed 16-0 in the game that could appropriately be called the “2019 Mud Bowl”.
The game was much closer than indicated by the final score. Both teams struggled to effectively move the ball under the adverse conditions. Turnovers highlighted play in the first half, with Sunbright losing two fumbles and Wartburg losing one fumble. Wartburg also turned the ball over when Sunbright’s Colton Nitzschke intercepted a Tyler Davis pass in Sunbright territory.
After Wartburg put six points on the board in the second quarter, the game remained scoreless until late in the fourth quarter when a bad snap backed the Tigers up to their own 1-yard line. Sunbright’s Jonathon Hammock was tackled in the end zone for a safety, giving Wartburg an 8-0 lead.
Wartburg took the ensuing free kick at mid-field and drove to the Sunbright 5-yard line. Chris Flowers ran the ball in for his second touchdown of the evening with only 59 seconds remaining in the game. Flowers also ran the ball for a successful 2-point conversion, extending the Bulldogs lead to 16-0, which would be the final score of the game. Flowers scored all of Wartburg’s 16 points.
It was senior night for Wartburg, and the senior-led Bulldog defense was pumped, holding Sunbright to 51 yards rushing on 34 attempts. Saylor Jones led with nine tackles, while Robert Williams and Trevor Hill had five tackles each. Colton James had one of his best performances of the season, recording four tackles and one sack. In total, the Bulldog defense recorded four sacks for -30 yards.
The Bulldogs continued to demonstrate their ability to get drive-crushing penalties at the most inopportune times. Wartburg was penalized seven times for 122 yards, with holding penalties nullifying touchdown runs by both Saylor Jones and Michael Davis. In contrast, Sunbright was penalized six times for 59 yards.
One of the bright spots in the game for Wartburg was resurgence of their rushing attack that has been dormant since early in the season. The Bulldogs gained 138 yards on 27 rushing attempts for a 5.1 yard per carry average, which would have been higher if not for penalties. Michael Davis led the Bulldogs with 19 rushes for 96 yards. Tyler Davis rushed four times for 21 yards, Chris Flowers rushed three times for 15 yards and two touchdowns, and Saylor Jones carried one time for six yards.
The Tigers found Wartburg’s defensive front to be impenetrable, rushing 34 times for 51 yards. Ethan Hammock led the Tigers with seven carries for 22 yards. Colton Nitzschke rushed 12 times for 14 yards. Jonathon Hammock added 10 yards on 11 carries.
Sunbright successfully completed four passes for 21 yards. The Wartburg defensive secondary displayed much improvement, breaking up several Sunbright pass attempts. Evan England led Sunbright receivers with three catches for 21 yards.
Wartburg’s Tyler Davis had seven pass completions for 102 yards. Colby Justes had three catches for 54 yards. Caleb McCarty had one reception for 33 yards, and Michael Davis added two catches for 14 yards.
Wartburg travels to Meigs County next Friday to close out the 2019 season, where they will face the Region 2AA leader that is also ranked number 4 in the State. Sunbright will host the Unaka Rangers next Friday. Unaka is winless in Region 1A play.
Click on any photo to view a larger version.
