by Bryce Phillips

Star Staff

bryce.phillips@elizabethton.com

Last week the Bulldogs proved they had legs; this week they showed they also have wings.

By the arm of Coby Jones, who accounted for 265 yards of passing on 15 passes, the Bulldogs were able to hand the Johnson County Longhorns a 50-14 defeat.

Jones, who connected four TD passes, said his receivers have been working hard on their routes, helping the Bulldogs have a effective passing game.

His most effective target was J.J. Chambers, who dragged in four catches for 132 yards. Jared Wiltshire had 70 yards receiving on two passes, while Jerry Lunsford received for 32 yards.

“Our receivers work so hard,” Jones said. “They have run crisp routes, and our line did amazing.”

Hampton’s Jason Russell tossed for 37 yards of passing, giving the Bulldogs 302 yards of passing.

On the ground, Hampton had 210 yards rushing, with Adam McClain recording 95 yards rushing on 11 carries, while Lunsford had 79 yards on nine carries. At the end of the night the Bulldogs had 512 yards of total offense.

On the Bulldogs’ first drive, Jones connected with Jared Wiltshire for a 52-yard TD pass, giving the ’Dogs a quick 7-0 lead.

After putting a stop on the Johnson County offense, forcing them to punt, the ’Dogs did it again, with Jones completing another 52-yard TD pass to J.J. Chambers.  This would put Hampton up 13-0, after the failed PAT.

The Longhorns would have trouble again, with QB Nathan Arnold tossing a interception to Hampton’s Wiltshire. After the interception, they ’were able to score in two plays, with Jones connecting with Chambers for a 33-yard passing play, before Adam McClain bulldozed in from 10 yards for Hampton’s third touchdown of the night.

The Bulldogs forced the Longhorns to punt again, setting up their offense to score again in five plays, with McClain scrambling to the endzone from 44 yards out. With the TD and two-point conversion good, Hampton’s lead jumped to 27-0.

The Longhorns finally found the board on their next possession, getting into the paint on four plays, with Arnold completing a 14-yard TD pass to Cody Bailie. With the extra point good, the Longshorns closed the gap to 27-7.

However, the ’Dogs, on a 18-play possession got into the endzone again as Jones connected with Wiltshire for a 18-yard TD pass.

The Bulldogs moved to 35-7, after a completed two-point conversion.

On the kickoff, the Longhorns’ Samuel Icenhour returned the ball for a whopping 64 yards, setting up Johnson County’s Arnold to complete a 19-yard TD pass to Bailie.

With the field goal good, the Longhorns shrunk the Bulldogs’ lead to 35-14.

The Bulldogs scored two more TDs in the first half, with McClain recovering his own fumble in the endzone, and Hampton’s Dakota Crumley receiving a 24-yard TD pass from Jones. At half time, the ’Dogs led 50-14 over the Longhorns.

The Hampton defense were able to hold the Longhorns’ offense to just 24 rushing yards for the game, while keeping the Longhorns’ passing down to 123 yards. Johnson County was able to collect 147 yards of total offense.

The biggest problem the Bulldogs had Friday night was penalties, receiving many holding calls against them.

“We didn’t have any holding calls last week, but we had a lot this week,” Hampton coach Mike Lunsford said. “The Johnson County linemen were really quick, which caused us a little trouble.”

Next up, Hampton will host the Cosby Eagles Friday.