Wartburg Bulldogs Fall at Cumberland Gap 46-38
By Terry Futrell
Discombobulated – perhaps no word better describes the slow start of the Wartburg Central Bulldogs as they faced the Cumberland Gap Panthers on Friday evening. After two weeks to recover from their 1-point loss to Midway, the Bulldogs had difficulty getting into rhythm as they faced a much-improved Cumberland Gap team. Add an inordinate number of penalties and missed tackles to the mix and it was a recipe for heartbreak as the Bulldogs lost to the Panthers 46-38.
The Bulldogs received the kickoff to begin the game. Michael Davis rushed 10 yards for a first down, but Wartburg gained only one yard on the next three plays and was forced to punt. The panthers rushed for five yards, then surprised the Wartburg secondary with a 39-yard pass completion. The Panthers then rushed 11 yards for the score and took a 6-0 lead.
Neither team could move the ball in their next two possessions. The Bulldogs were 1-3 in passing, gained a net zero yards, and quarterback Tyler Davis was sacked twice on successive plays in the two possessions.
The Bulldogs began to show some life in their fourth possession when Tyler Davis hit Colby Justes for a 41-yard completion. Wartburg could get no closer that the Cumberland Gap 41-yard line and was forced to punt for the fourth time.
Beginning at their own 9-yard line midway in the second quarter, the Panthers rushed for a 2-yard loss. Quarterback Ethen Daniels was then sacked in the end zone for a safety and the Bulldogs trailed 6-2.
At this point, the Wartburg offense came to life. Davis hit Caleb McCarty for seven yards, then rushed for 13-yards. Davis connected with Justes for 14 yards. Consecutive penalties moved the ball to the Cumberland Gap 1-yard line, and Saylor Jones rushed for a Wartburg touchdown. The Bulldogs successfully went for two on a pass from Davis to Justes and led 10-6 with 4:48 to go in the 1st half.
Not to be outdone, the Panthers returned the kickoff for 23 yards. After advancing the ball 32 yards in consecutive completions, Panther Holden McDaniel rushed 43 yards for a Cumberland Gap touchdown. After a 2-point conversion, the Panthers led 14-10 with 3:25 remaining in the half.
Saylor Jones returned the Panther kickoff 23 yards to begin Wartburg’s next drive. After a 7-yard completion to Caleb McCarty, a pass interference call moved the ball to the Panther 35-yard line. Davis then connected with McCarty for a 35-yard touchdown pass to put the Bulldogs ahead 16-14.
Cumberland Gap began their next drive at their own 29-yard line. Faced with a sack, quarterback Ethen Daniels threw a desperation pass that was tipped by a Wartburg defender. Panther Nathan Fuson grabbed the tipped ball and scampered 71 yards for a Cumberland Gap touchdown with 1:44 remaining in the half.
Wartburg could not respond and the first half ended with Cumberland Gap leading 20-16.
After a short kickoff by Wartburg, Cumberland Gap began their drive at their own 47-yard line to open the second half. After only five plays, Daniels found Fuson open for a 13-yard touchdown pass and the Panthers led 26-16.
Wartburg responded by quickly moving downfield on completions of 13 yards and nine yards to Michael Davis. Tyler Davis then hit Colby Justes with a 13-yard pass for a touchdown. After a successful 2-point conversion, the Bulldogs trailed by two, 24-26.
Cumberland Gap began moving the ball with a 27-yard reception by Eli Wilson. Wartburg stopped the Panther drive when Caleb McCarty intercepted a pass, giving the Bulldogs the ball at their own 27-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Cumberland Gap returned the favor by picking off a Tyler Davis pass and returned the ball to the Wartburg 20-yard line.
Daniels connected on a 16-yard pass, and then rushed four yards for another Cumberland Gap touchdown. The conversion failed and the Panthers led 32-24.
On Wartburg’s first play of the ensuing drive, Panther Logan Daniels picked off a Tyler Davis pass and returned it for a touchdown, giving the Panthers a 38-24 lead.
The Bulldogs quickly responded, moving downfield in three plays to the Panther 15-yard line. Davis connected with Saylor Jones for a Bulldog score. The conversion failed and Wartburg trailed 30-38.
The Panthers wasted no time in responding, scoring in three plays that concluded with a 14-yard reception by Eli Wilson for a touchdown. The conversion was successful and Cumberland Gap led 46-30.
In a dizzying response, Tyler Davis threw three incompletions and the Bulldogs were faced with 4th and 10 on their own 40-yard line. Rather than punt, Davis hit Caleb McCarty for 60-yard touchdown pass. After a successful 2-point conversion, the Bulldogs trailed 38-46.
The Bulldogs had one final opportunity late in the 4th quarter when Owen Vespie intercepted an Ethen Daniels pass at the goal line to prevent a Panther touchdown. After advancing the ball six yards, Davis threw another interception. Cumberland Gap advanced the ball to the Wartburg 2-yard line where quarterback Daniels took a knee to end the game and claim a 46-38 Panther victory.
Both teams put up big offensive numbers – Cumberland Gap had 451 yards total offense and Wartburg had 296 yards. The biggest advantage went to Cumberland Gap’s running game, which tallied 129 yards compared to only 43 yards rushing for Wartburg. Panther quarterback Ethen Daniels completed 17 of 29 passes for 322 yards, while Wartburg’s Tyler Davis connected on 16 of 34 passes for 253 yards.
Wartburg’s Caleb McCarty had five receptions for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Colby Justes also had five receptions for 72 yards and one touchdown. For the Panthers, Nathan Fuson had eight receptions for 160 yards and two touchdowns. Michael Davis had one kickoff return for 54 yards for the Bulldogs.
Penalties were a big factor in the game. Wartburg was penalized 10 times for 105 yards, while Cumberland Gap had eight penalties for 65 yards.
Leading Wartburg defensively were Saylor Jones with nine tackles and Chris Flowers with five tackles.
The Bulldogs fall to 2-4 for the season and face Jellico next Friday in an away game. The win was the first of the season for Cumberland Gap, which now has a 1-5 season record.
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