Bulldogs Blast Panthers for Bi-District Championship

Crockett 41 Anahuac 21

By Will Johnson

Messenger Reporter

WOODVILLE – The Crockett Bulldogs traveled to Woodville last Friday as they opened their postseason against the Anahuac Panthers in Woodville. The Bulldogs had finished third in District 9-3A DI and had an overall record of 6-4 heading into their Bi-District contest with Anahuac.

The Panthers, on the other hand, had finished in a three-way tie for second in District 10-3A DI but had been awarded the second seed. They had an overall record of 5-5 but had been an early season pick to win their district.

Crockett seized the early lead and thwarted Anahuac on several drives deep into Bulldog territory as they held on to win by a final score of 41-21.

The Bulldogs opened with possession of the ball at their own 31 and took control of the game on their second play from scrimmage. Tywoin Delane gained eight yards on first down and then QB Jadyn Collins served notice on the Panthers that it was going to be a long night.

On second-and-two, Collins dropped back to pass and saw WR Ty White had gotten behind the Anahuac secondary. Collins threw a strike to White who took it 61 yards to pay dirt at the 11:21 mark of the first quarter. Omar Garcia knocked home the extra point and before all the fans could get seated, the Bulldogs led 7-0.

A three-and-out by the Panthers gave the ball right back to the Bulldogs at their own 47. White picked up three on first down but Delane was stopped for no gain on second. Faced with a third-and-eight, Collins connected with White once again. This time the duo picked up 34 yards to move inside the Anahuac red zone.

On Crockett’s next play from scrimmage, Collins found wide-out Randy Jones in the back of the end zone for a 16-yard TD. Garcia knocked home the PAT and with 8:40 still left in the first quarter, the Bulldogs now led 14-0.

Anahuac’s next possession saw them move into Crockett territory for the first time in the game but their drive stalled as they turned the ball over on downs.

The Bulldogs took over and began to drive once again. An interception by the Panthers’ Quinn Anderson gave the ball back to Anahuac at the Crockett 36. A personal foul on the Bulldogs tacked on 15 and put the Panthers on the Bulldogs’ side of the 50.

From there, the Panthers went to the ground. Jemaj Bailey picked up two and then Landon Corbitt added four. On third down, Corbitt broke free for 18 yards down to the Crockett 25. Christian Sanchez gained 10 to move inside the Crockett red zone. Corbitt gained seven to move inside the 10 as the first quarter came to an end.

On the first play of the second quarter, Bailey bulled his way across the goal line from four yards out to give the Panthers their first score of the game. Sanchez converted the extra point and with 11:53 left in the first half, the score was 14-7.

After the two teams exchanged possessions, Crockett took over at their own 28. On first down, Collins found White once again. White worked his way down to the four-yard line of Anahuac before he was brought down. The next play saw Anahuac completely leave Jones uncovered and Collins took advantage of it as he hit Jones in the end zone for six. Garcia was true on the XP and with 5:47 remaining in the half, the Bulldogs were back up by 14.

With time running down in the second quarter, Corbitt was able to find the end zone and cut into the Crockett lead as the two teams headed to the locker room at halftime with the Bulldogs ahead by a score of 21-14.

As the second half got under way, the Panthers launched a lengthy drive deep into Bulldog territory. The Bulldog D stood tall, however, and forced a turnover on downs at their own 18-yard line.

The Bulldogs were able to move out from under the shadow of their own goal posts and cross the 50, but a fumble gave the ball back to the Panthers at the 26.

Anahuac was unable to go anywhere and punted back to Crockett. The Bulldogs took over at their own 48 and on first down, Collins saw Jones had beaten his man deep and launched a 52-yard bomb that Jones took into the end zone. Garcia’s extra point made it 28-14 and brought the third quarter scoring to a close.

The Panthers were unable to do anything offensively and turned the ball over to the Bulldogs as the fourth quarter began. With a 14-point lead and one quarter left to play, Crockett went to their ground game. It paid off for the Bulldogs when Demuntreon Bedford blasted his way into the end zone with an 11-yard TD at the 9:28 mark of the fourth to make the score 34-14.

Corbitt added a six-yard TD with 4:43 left in the game to cut the lead to 34-21 but, Bedford salted the game away with a three yard score with under a minute to play to make the final score 41-21.

The win moves the Bulldogs into the Area Championship game where they will face the Lorena Leopards. The game is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 19 in Madisonville. Kickoff is slated for 7 pm.       

Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].    

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