Bulldogs paw their way to victory… Second-half surge by Hampton leads to 28-14 win over Oneida
Published 1:45 am Saturday, November 7, 2020
StarPhoto/Larry N. Souders Bulldog head coach Michael Lunsford dug into his bag of tricks on the opening play of the game against Oneida. Quarterback Conor Jones pitch the ball to wide receiver Dylan Trivett (18) who looked like he was running and end around sweep, only to have Trivett pull up and fire a pass to the streaking Blake Perry (15) for 25 yards and a first down.
StarPhoto/Larry N. Souders Excellent blocking by the front line allows the Bulldog Conor Jones (4) to break up the middle and then side steps a would be Oneida tackler setting up Hampton with a first and goal in the third quarter.
StarPhoto/Larry N. Souders On the final play of the first half the Bulldog defense led by Morgan Lyons (24) and Conor Jones (4) stuff Oneida’s Kolby Morgan (22) for a three yard loss.
StarPhoto/Larry N. Souders Hampton starting quarterback Conor Jones (4) is tripped up by the Indians Matthew Brown (15) as he tries to get to the outside. Jones setup the Bulldogs with first and goal from the four on this play.
StarPhoto/Larry N. Souders The Bulldogs Aiden Vines (23) drives his way up the middle for extra yardage in the third quarter.
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BY NIC MILLER
STAR CORRESPONDENT
Hampton- With the final week of regular season football in Tennessee finalized last week, it was time for week one of the postseason for teams in the area.
One team that has performed fantastically throughout their campaign, the Hampton Bulldogs, were at home for round one as they faced off against the Oneida Indians.
The Bulldogs wasted no time in the first quarter as on the first play of the game, Conor Jones handed the ball off to Aidan Vines who would toss the ball to Dylan Trivett.
Trivett then unleashed the ball thirty yards downfield where the ball ended up in the hands of Blake Peavy for a gain of thirty-five, giving Hampton the ball deep in enemy territory.
And after that doozy of a play, it would be a simple handoff to Vines from four yards out that would cap off the drive. Michael Harrison added the extra point to give the home team an early 7-0 lead.
But the Indians fired right back halfway through the quarter when Kolby Morgan busted through the middle from 58 yards out, followed by the PAT from Aidan Love, to knot things up, 7-7.
For the remainder of the first quarter and the entirety of the second quarter, this game had become a defensive battle with neither team able to cross the goal line as both squads would go to the locker room tied up 7-7 at the break.
The trend of a defensive takeover continued halfway into the third quarter, but after the Bulldog defense was able to push back the Indians, Morgan Lyons blocked an Oneida punt to give the home team excellent field position inside the 35-yard line.
And shortly after, Jones called his own number on the quarterback sneak from three yards out, followed by the Harrison extra point, to give Hampton a slight 14-7 advantage just before the end of the third with fourteen minutes of clock left in the game.
And just as it had happened before, Morgan would settle the score just before the third quarter ended with a 45-yard rush followed by the Harrison PAT, to tie things up going into the final period, 14-14.
Halfway through the final quarter, Jones would do it yet again with a six-yard rushing touchdown while the Harrison kick gave the Bulldogs a 21-14 lead late in the game.
And when they needed it most, the Bulldog defense would shut down the Indians, giving Jones and their offense the ball for another late-game score from 25 yards out as the Bulldogs advanced to take on the Meigs County Tigers in the second round of the TSSAA playoffs with the 28-14 victory.
Bulldogs head coach Michael Lunsford commented on his team’s motivation coming into this matchup saying, “Our guys are always improving, always wanting to get better. After losing to South Greene in the regular season, these guys never let it get to them, they remained focused and knew they had a job to do.”
Lunsford also touched on next week’s matchup against the Tigers of Meigs County saying, “Like I said to these guys after the game, we are one game away from getting our rematch against South Greene. To be the best, you’ve gotta beat the best and that’s what our guys are trying to do week by week.”
The Bulldogs matchup against the Tigers next week will be at Meigs County with kickoff set for 7 pm.
