The 5A south conference rivalry between the Watson Chapel Wildcats, and the White Hall Bulldogs lived up to it’s potential Friday night. Entering the contest, both teams were tied at the top of the 5A south standings, so this game had conference title written all over it. The game was action-packed, with big play on both sides of the ball by both teams. However, only one team could prevail, and the Watson Chapel Wildcats delivered in the final minute to gain a big victory 41-36.
The game was full of momentum changes, and the first one came on the first play from scrimmage. Watson Chapel won the toss and elected to defer the ball until the second half, so that put Bulldogs’ quarterback Cameron Walden and crew on the field first. White Hall is primarily known as a rushing team, but they decided to put the ball in the air on their first offensive snap. Walden dropped back to pass and the pass was intercepted by the Wildcat’s Cegars Curry.
White Hall’s defense then took the field and they proved that they weren’t going to let Watson Chapel run away with this one. The defensive front of the Bulldogs played a solid game, and their penetration stopped the run and they caused havoc in the pocket. The Bulldogs forced a punt, and that’s when the Wildcats made their first mistake of the game by snapping the ball over the punters head. That bad snap set the Bulldogs up with great field position and it didn’t take long for them to capitalize.
After a 35 yard rush by Walden, Lance Smith pounded it in from one yard out for the first touchdown of the game.
Jakobi Jackson made plenty of big time plays throughout the game, but the defensive penetration caused him to struggle a little early on in the game. On the Wildcat’s second drive, Jon Speer picked off Jackson and returned the ball 50 yards down to the Wildcats’ eight yard line. Turnovers and mistakes limited the Wildcats early on, and White Hall took what Watson Chapel gave them.
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A couple plays after the interception return, Layne Hartsfield took an in-around from eight yards into the end zone for the Bulldogs’ second touchdown of the first quarter. However, Bulldogs’ Head Coach Mike Vaughn and staff elected to go for two, but they were denied and that would come back to haunt them later in the game.
Penalties were hurting the Wildcats in the first quarter, but when they eliminated them the offense began to roll. At the end of the first quarter, Jakobi Jackson led the Wildcats on an extended drive that eventually placed them on the one yard line. Jackson then found Jaquan Dorsey in the back of the end zone, and Dorsey snatched the ball out of the air while leaping over the Bulldogs defender.
Even though scores were given up, both defenses were playing with heart and they weren’t giving up anything easy. With 5:37 left in the second quarter, just as the Wildcats were moving towards the end zone, Jackson threw his second interception of the game on a broken play where he was just trying to make something happen.
However, minutes later, Jonathan Harris would intercept a pass, giving the ball back to the Wildcat’s offense with 2:14 left in the first half. Jakobi Jackson didn’t waste anytime as he found Devontra Curry streaking down the sideline for a spectacular 72 yard touchdown pass. Curry was a game changer for the Wildcats, and with his speed and ability to create separation, he caused problems for the Bulldogs defense all game.
That touchdown gave the Wildcats the lead heading into halftime, but the game was far from being over.
Coming out of the half, the Bulldogs’ defense remained solid against the run and they forced Watson Chapel into a punting situation. The Wildcats elected to attempt a fake punt, but it was shut down by the Bulldogs and that set their offense up with great field position once again.
Lance Smith ran the ball with a purpose all night and he rushed for well over 100 yards. The Wildcat’s defense had problems with slowing Smith down, and early in the third he recorded his second touchdown of the game. At that point the score was 20-14, but the Wildcats responded quickly.
Jakobi Jackson began to make up for his first half struggles by precisely slinging the ball around. After another well put together drive, Dorsey punched it in from one yard out on a direct snap. The White Hall special teams unit would step up big and block the PAT to keep the score tied at 20-20.
After the Wildcats defense stopped the Bulldogs, Devontra Curry came up big for the Wildcats once again. Jackson found Curry in open space and Curry did the rest with a great run after the catch for his second touchdown of the game.
From that point, the Bulldogs decided that they would ground and pound it out, and Lance Smith would be the bell cow. The Bulldogs responded quickly to the Wildcats with a good kick return and a couple big gains on the ground to place them on the one yard line. Lance Smith bulldozed his way in once again, and with the Bulldogs down by one they elected to go for two. The Bulldogs lined up in their jumbo package and they punched it in for the two point conversion with ease.
Momentarily, the Bulldogs had a one point lead, but with 7:26 left to play, Curry caught his third touchdown pass to give the lead back to the Wildcats. Only up five, Wildcats’ Head Coach Jarred Dutton decided to dial up a two point play of his own and the play was successful. That gave the Wildcats a 35-28 advantage, but neither team had a bit of quit in them.
The Bulldogs had plenty of time to stick to what they like to do, and they did just that. Lance Smith seemed unstoppable, and credit has to be given to the Bulldog’s offensive line for creating the holes. With 54 seconds to play, Smith found a big hole right down the middle of the Wildcat’s defense and he sprinted for a 19-yard touchdown. Then, it was decision time for Vaughn once again. The Bulldogs were very confident in their jumbo package rushing attack, and it paid off for them once again as they converted on the two point attempt to take a 36-35 lead.
However, the Wildcats’ offense had just enough time to strike again. On the first play of their game-winning drive, Jackson found his running back Davion White wide open down the center of the Bulldogs defense, and White made a great catch and he went untouched for a 62-yard touchdown reception.
That made it 41-36, and that would stand as the final score. Both teams played with pride, and the Wildcats had something extra to play for that is non-football related. Dutton’s baby daughter has been in Arkansas Children’s Hospital for the past couple of weeks, so it’s been a tough time for him. However, his team continues to fight for him and all their goals are still in reach.
“I got no words, no words,” Dutton said. “Unbelievable, this is a wonderful group of guys, coaches, everybody, and they never gave up. They never said quit, even to the last whistle and they earned this win. These guys have a never quit attitude, and they never give up until that horn goes off. You saw it right there, they found a way to get into the end zone, and our whole group of guys deserve this win.”