The Battle of Highway 71 has been a rivalry staple in the area for decades. Unfortunately, Waldron has seen the short side of the stick more often than not. Going into last Friday’s game against Mansfield, the Bulldogs had only won two of those games since 2006. That was then though, and this is now. With the Bulldogs playing with a new head coach and a new attitude, they were ready to give back some of what the Tigers had handed them over the years. And boy did they. With a final blow-out score of 41-0, Waldron sits undefeated in 2-0 in total season play.
For senior night, the Bulldogs completed 230 offensive yards and 93 defensive yards. When it came to interceptions, Braden Williams earned 2, and Caden Fuller, Trevor Hunt, and Bryson Barker each walked away with 1. Matthew Tegtmeyer was the leading tackler with 7. Williams completed 7/8 passes for 111-yards. Isaac “The Real” Villarreal was the leading receiver in the match with 2 receptions for 73-yards and 2 TDs. Bryson Bailey secured 2 passes and 2 TDs. Fuller also scored 2 passes as well as a TD. And Matt Brigance had the last TD by rushing.
Coach, Doug Powell had this to say about hitting the jackpot. “I felt good going into the game. I thought that we would be in good shape as long as we executed our assignments. We felt like we had a good concept of what they wanted to do, and a scheme to use against it. The guys did a great job executing and as a result, we made some big plays. The biggest thing to keep Mansfield from scoring was great tackling. The first guy did a good job staying wrapped up and the second guy helped limit additional yards.”
The Waldron Bulldogs not only beat their Scott County rivals but also matched their win total from last season with the victory over Mansfield. It may take a while for the rest of the state to notice, but Waldron football is on the rise and with other teams in the Bulldogs conference struggling in non-conference play, Waldron could be poised to make some noise in 2020. The Bulldogs will have this week to rest up before hosting the Atkins Devils on September 18th.
Photos courtesy of Sandy Tull
