Cass County Clash lives up to name, L-K edges Bulldogs

By Adam Pettit

The Queen City Bulldogs faced off against the Linden-Kildare Tigers last Friday night in the annual “Cass County Clash”. It was a high scoring contest in which the teams combined for over 100 points and 1000 offensive yards, and in the end the Tigers prevailed over QC 66-48.
The teams quickly traded possessions to start the game. QC began on defense and forced the Tigers to punt after four plays, and the Bulldogs started their first drive on their own 20-yard line and fumbled the ball back to the Tigers on the first play from scrimmage.
L-K wasted no time in capitalizing on the turnover. 
On the first play from scrimmage, the Tigers’ quarterback dropped back and threw a pass down the left side of the field. The L-K receiver sprinted 80 yards to pay dirt for the first touchdown of the game. 
The point after touchdown was successful and the Bulldogs were down 7-0 with 10:13 remaining in the first quarter.
The QC offense began the next drive on its own 13-yard line. Running back James Williams got things going for the Bulldogs on a 26-yard carry to the QC 39. Dwight Glover took the next carry up the middle for 10 yards and quarterback Josh Henry found Williams in the middle of the field for a 25 yard pass.  
The Bulldogs were moving the ball efficiently and effectively as Henry faked a handoff and broke two tackles on his way to a 28-yard gain. On first-and-goal from the QC five-yard line, Henry followed a great block by Dwight Glover and cruised into the end zone. The PAT was blocked but the Bulldogs cut the lead to 7-6 with 6:38 in the first quarter.
L-K continued its string of explosive plays with a 93-yard return for a touchdown on the ensuing kickoff. The Tigers’ return man took the squib kick down the middle of the field, outrunning everyone on the field. The PAT was good and the Tigers extended their lead to 14-6.
After the kickoff, the Bulldogs started on their own 32-yard line. Henry opened the drive with a quarterback keeper for a four-yard gain. William Harris took the next handoff down the right side of the field and could not be brought down. When the dust settled, Harris was in the end zone after a 63-yard run.  
After the score, Harris sprinted to the sideline, pumping the QC crowd up. The Bulldogs elected to try the two point conversion which was unsuccessful. With 5:32 remaining in the quarter the score was QC 12 and L-K 14.
The rapid scoring of points continued for the Tigers on the next drive. On first-and-10 from the L-K 48, the Tigers’ running back took the handoff and darted down the middle of the field for a 42-yard score. The PAT was unsuccessful but the Tigers extended their lead to 20-12.  
The Bulldogs were forced to punt after three plays on the next drive. Josue Rea booted a 43-yard punt to force the Tigers to start the from their own 24-yard line.
The next drive for L-K resulted in a turnover on downs as Isaiah Stiger filled the middle of the line for a big tackle on fourth-and-two deep in QC territory.  
This would temporarily stop the Tigers’ momentum and was an important play for QC.
As QC looked to capitalize on the great defensive play, Harris took the handoff on first down and picked up 16 yards. Henry took the next snap and sprinted for 25 yards thanks in part to a great block from Colton Davis.  
The Tigers committed a face mask penalty a few plays later giving the bulldogs a first-and-10 situation on the L-K 15-yard line. QC took advantage as Henry tried a quarterback sneak and leaped over two defenders for another Bulldogs touchdown.  
Henry also took the ball on the two point conversion and cruised into the end zone to tie the game at 20 midway through the second quarter. 
QC maintained its ferocity on defense on the next L-K drive by forcing a fourth-and-22 situation on the L-K 34-yard line. The Tigers were forced to punt with just under four minutes left in the half.  
The Bulldogs looked to take the lead before the half as they started the next drive on their own 37-yard line. QC noticed a hole in the middle of the L-K defensive line and Henry took a quick snap and sprinted 52 yards down to the L-K 11. 
The Bulldogs went back to Harris a couple of plays later and he followed a solid block by Hunter Farrington into the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown. The PAT was unsuccessful but the Bulldogs led 26-20 with under two minutes remaining in the half. 
The Tigers’ offense came to life one last time before the half as L-K scored from one-yard out with seconds remaining in the first half. The PAT was successful as the Tigers reclaimed the lead 27-26 going into halftime.
Queen City opened the second half on offense and put together a solid drive before turning the ball over on downs. The Tigers took advantage and quickly scored again, this time on a 67-yard carry down the right side line. The PAT was no good but L-K increased its lead to 33-26.
On the next kickoff, L-K kicked the ball to Harris and he returned it to the QC 45. A face mask penalty on the Tigers gave the Bulldogs favorable field position and QC quickly took advantage.  Williams took the ball on the first play and darted 29 yards down the left side of the field into the red zone.  
It was first and goal from the L-K 9-yard line and Davis gained five yards on a carry putting QC on the five. Dwight Glover took the next hand off and fumbled but Henry was there to scoop the ball up and carry it into the end zone for a touchdown. The two point conversion was successful as Davis found the end zone on a hand off.  
With that successful play QC went back on top 34-33 with 2:45 remaining in the third quarter.  
The Tigers wasted no time regaining the lead on the next drive and did so after just two plays.   The ball carrier ran untouched into the end zone for a 63-yard touchdown. 
The Bulldogs did come up with a nice stop on the two point try, holding L-K to a 39-34 lead.
Queen City was able to put together a solid drive on the next offensive possession.  
A drive that started on the 50-yard line eventually ended in the end zone on another quarterback sneak from Henry, this time from one-yard out. 
This would be the fourth touchdown in the game for Henry. The two point try was no good but the Bulldogs led 40-39 with 10 and a half minutes remaining in the game.
Later in the game, L-K began to pull away as the Tigers found themselves up by 13 points after two consecutive scores with three minutes remaining in the game. The Bulldogs did manage to score another touchdown, the third one for Harris, on a 5-yard carry.  Farrington lunged forward into the end zone on the two point try to bring QC within five points, but the Tigers went on to score twice more in the game; once on an onside kick returned for touchdown and one on a pick-6. 
The Bulldogs continue their season next week at Paris Chisum with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.

Junior Varsity
Queen City’s junior varsity team (2-1) dominated L-K 48-6 last Thursday night. Dylan Scott had a rushing touchdown and a 2-point conversion; Kemya Hicks had two rushing touchdowns; Trey Clayton had a 2-point conversion; Nate Burden, Damarius Fuller and Ben Harris recorded rushing touchdowns; Burden had a pick-6; and both Eveyn Upchurch and Colton Wilde posted fumble recoveries.
The junior varsity team hosts Chisum on Sept. 15 at 7:15 p.m.