Bulldogs, DeKalb compete in high scoring contest

By Adam Pettit

The Queen City Bulldogs celebrated Senior Night as they capped off their season against the DeKalb Bears last Friday night. 
The Bulldogs looked to build on the positives in the previous game against the Pewitt Brahmas.  
The game began with QC winning the coin toss and deferring possession. 
On the opening kickoff, the Bears returned the kick for an 86-yard touchdown to jump out to an early 7-0 lead.
The Bulldogs’ first offensive drive looked promising as QC moved the ball effectively. 
On fourth-and-10 from the Bears’ 25-yard line, QC elected to go for it. 
The pass from quarterback Dylan Scott fell incomplete and the ball was turned over on downs.  
DeKalb took possession and scored again quickly, this time on a touchdown from two yards out.  
The PAT was successful and the Bears led by 14.
Queen City got the offense going on the next drive, moving the ball from its own 30-yard line down to the Bears’ 10-yard line on a trick play to freshman K.J. Hicks. 
Hicks took the pitch and darted 35 yards to put QC in the red zone.  
Josh Henry took the snap on the next play and darted up the middle for a 10-yard touchdown.  
The PAT by Josue Rea was successful and the Bulldogs were within seven at 14-7 early in the second quarter.
The Bears were forced to turn the ball over on their next possession thanks to a strong defensive effort by the Bulldogs. 
On fourth-and-21, DeKalb tried a fake punt which resulted in an incomplete pass.   
QC took possession but was unable to capitalize on the turnover.
The Bulldogs defense continued its success on DeKalb’s next drive, forcing another turnover on downs deep in QC territory.  
The first half was winding down at this point, and QC looked to manage the clock. On second-and-15 from their own 27, Scott dropped back for the Bulldogs and launched a pass to Henry for a big gain.  
QC found themselves at midfield with less than a minute remaining in the quarter.  
The Bears were able to stifle the drive on the next play thanks to a hard hit on Scott which caused a fumble. 
A DeKalb player was able to pick up the fumble and sprint into the end zone for the Bears’ third touchdown of the night. 
DeKalb led 21-7 with seconds remaining in the half.  
The Bulldogs began their final drive of the half on their own 20-yard line. 
Scott found Henry on the right side for another large gain and with a flag for roughing the passer against the Bears the play ended up resulting in a 48-yard gain.
Scott dropped back again on the next play and threw a pass to Henry in the end zone for a 32-yard touchdown.  
The PAT was good and the teams entered the half with the score of Queen City 14 and DeKalb 21.
The second half began with DeKalb wasting little time in adding to its lead. 
Queen City received the kickoff but fumbled the ball back to the Bears.  
On the second play from scrimmage, the Bears scored on a five-yard touchdown. The PAT was successful and the Bears increased their lead to 28-14.
The Bulldogs were forced to punt the ball back to the Bears on the next drive. DeKalb managed to march down the field and score another touchdown.  
With 7:45 left in the third quarter, the Bears led 35-14.
The Bulldogs did not stop fighting on offense. 
Jaeger Jaynes and Henry took control of QC’s next drive and led the Bulldogs down the field with the running game.  
Scott capped the drive off with an 18-yard quarterback keeper up the middle to cut the lead back to 14 midway through the quarter.
The Bears kept their scoring attack going as the teams continued to battle. DeKalb started its next drive on its own 15-yard line. 
The Bears’ offensive game plan was apparent.  DeKalb continued to hand the ball off to its main running back on several consecutive plays.  
The Bears eventually scored from 19 yards out to bring the score to Queen City 21 and DeKalb 42 early in the fourth quarter.  
Queen City answered on its next drive. After William Harris returned the kickoff to the Bulldogs’ 46-yard line, Scott, Harris, and Henry took care of the rest.  
The Bulldogs ran three consecutive pass plays as Scott found Harris for a 14 and 11 yard pickup, and Henry for a 31-yard touchdown.  
The PAT was successful and the Bulldogs trailed 42-28.
The Bulldogs tried an onside kick after the touchdown, but the Bears were able to control the ball.  
DeKalb continued to rely on its running back, and scored again on its final touchdown of the night.
Queen City went on to score once more as well, on another Scott to Henry connection from the Bears’ 22-yard line.  
The game ended with the final score of Queen City 35 and DeKalb 49.
Queen City’s JV topped DeKalb 30-14. 
Trevor Knod scored a rushing touchdown and returned a fumble for a touchdown on defense for the Bulldogs.
Both Adorian Booth and Matthew Davenport scored rushing touchdowns, T.J. Stagner rushed for two 2-point conversions and had an interception on defense and Nate Burden rushed for a 2-point conversion in the win over the Bears.