The “Battle of Scott County” football game between the Mansfield Tigers and the Waldron Bulldogs is always sure to excite. And like in previous years before, 2019 didn’t disappoint. Last season, the Tigers took the win over the Bulldogs 40-7. And although this time around the game ended with Mansfield again sealing the deal 38-34, this WASN’T the same Waldron team we’ve seen in the past.
The Bulldogs have bought into the program that second season coach, Jonathan Bates, has put into place and where in most cases a good rule of thumb to build a program is around three years, the Bulldogs have seemed to do it in two. With the help of coaching staff Mark Brigance, Nick Stovall, Garett Lazenby, Cory Chambers, Chance Tanner, and Bob Coker, the 2019 group of players that took to the field Friday night, were well-formed, powerfully built, and fearlessly established.
With a jam-packed venue loaded with Bulldog energy, Waldron took to the field ready to fight. Elijah Polen got the Bulldog ball moving with his 16-yard dash downfield. From there Caden Fuller was able to make a huge run in for a touchdown putting Waldron on the board 6-0. Seth Hunt kept the ball in action with his 27-yard run and after a touchdown pass from Quarterback Braden Williams to Isaac Villareal, Waldron was up 12-6. With the added two-point conversion from a quarterback keeper, the score was brought to 14-6 Bulldogs.
After another Villareal touchdown and two-point conversion courtesy of Williams, the game went into halftime with Waldron leading 22-12. For the second half of the game, Bryson Bailey accelerated his running game, leaving the Tigers unable to keep up and adding a touchdown for the Bulldogs. With the scoreboard reading 28-12 Waldron, the stadium was deafening. With the Tigers hot on the Bulldogs trail, the fourth quarter started with Waldron up 28-26. Keeping the score moving up for the Bulldogs, Williams hit it big with another touchdown and the count pushed forward 34-26. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be for the Bulldogs and after two Tiger touchdowns, the game came to an end.
While the offense was on top of their game, it was the Bulldog defense that carried the show. With the help of powerhouses like Patrick Poor, Ethan Slater, Bradley Smith, Rylee Shupert, Dayton Lovett, and Joey Cardenas, the Bulldogs indestructible brick wall was there at every Mansfield play shutting the Tigers down. Coach Bates had this to say about the historic game, “I thought our players and coaches did an outstanding job preparing for the game. Everyone left it all on the field. It’s unfortunate that someone had to lose this game because both teams played well enough to win. We have to clean up some mistakes that we had but I have faith that everyone will work on those to be ready for our next game!” The Waldron Bulldogs will hit the road to Paris to take on the Eagles on September 13 at 7 p.m.
