Rockwood Ends Wartburg Middle School’s Season
By Terry Futrell
Dakota Waldo – put that name in your memory banks, football fans, it is one you will hear many times for the next four years. Waldo led his Rockwood Middle School Tiger teammates in thrashing the Wartburg Central Middle School Bulldogs 40-0 in playoff semifinal action last night at Rockwood.
Things looked dim for the Bulldogs from their opening drive in which they went three and out, losing seven yards on the drive. The Tiger defense limited the Bulldogs to only three first downs and 40 yards total offense in the game. Meanwhile, the Waldo-led Rockwood offense chalked up 13 first downs and 221 yards total offense.
The Bulldog offense was led by Damon Duncan, who rushed three times for 27 yards. Ty Collins rushed four times for 15 yards. Defensively, the Bulldogs were led by Tommy Lawyer with 4.5 tackles, Bryer True with 4 tackles, and Damon Duncan with 3.5 tackles.
The superior strength of the Tigers’ running attack was evident throughout the game, with both Waldo and Pudge Hannibal delivering substantial yardage. After Wartburg’s opening drive resulted in a punt, the Tigers took the ball on their own 15-yard line and marched down the field in seven plays to score. The drive included big-play runs of 21, 22, and 20 yards. It was all Tigers from there as they scored 16 points in the first quarter and eight in each of the remaining quarters. Rockwood’s 4th-quarter score came on a 45-yard return of a Wartburg fumble.
Wartburg’s best offensive effort came late in the second quarter. Taking the kickoff, the Bulldogs marched downfield to the Tigers’ 18-yard line, where a critical illegal motion penalty stalled the drive and Rockwood took over on downs at their own 25-yard line. The Bulldogs put together back-to-back first downs on the drive, highlighted by a 17-yard run by Damon Duncan.
The loss ends the season for the Bulldogs, and Rockwood moves on to play for the championship on October 27.