Pictured is #23 Joseph Rogers
This season, the Waldron Jr High football team that marched onto the football field this past week to take on the Mansfield Jr High Tigers, was unrecognizable compared to last year’s team. Fans already know they will be getting a treat when they hear the words Waldron, Mansfield, and football in the same sentence. But with a new football program under a new Bulldog Top Dog in Doug Powell and Jr Coach Garett Lazenby maintaining his same position leading the Jr Bulldogs, the top to bottom changes were hard to miss. From the way they executed their plays like a well-oiled machine to the way they communicated, the Jr Bulldogs meant business. And this season, business was good.
The Bulldogs and the Tigers spent the majority of the 1st quarter testing the waters by getting a feel for each other’s strengths and weaknesses. But at the two-minute mark, Chris Lopez was done playing nice as he slammed out the first touchdown of the night. Followed by a two-point conversion and the Bulldogs got the scoreboard lights rolling 8-0 Waldron. 6:44 into the 2nd quarter, running back, Kason Davis, ran in the Bulldogs second TD for the night and with the two-point no good, the score was set 14-0 Waldron.
After the Bulldogs recover an onside kick, Joseph Rogers was written down in the stats book for his TD run, one minute left in the first half. Like a thief in the night, the Bulldogs steal their third interception of the game leaving the Tigers scratching their heads in confusion of what just happened. Before closing out the first half of the game, Davis punches downfield like a freight train securing a 45-yard run. Both teams exit the field with the halftime score reading 20-0 Waldron.
At this point, it’s very clear to the Tigers that they are going to need to step up their ground and pound game if they even want a chance at taking down the Bulldogs. The 3rd quarter was somewhat quiet, if you will, with not much action happening. As the clock winds down in the 4th quarter, the Bulldogs defense continues to mow over every player wearing red, while outdoing Mansfield physically with downright ruthlessness. With the timeclock slowing down, the Bulldogs keep heating up. Logan Young not only runs in a TD for Waldron but he completes the two-point conversion as well upgrading the score to 28-0 Waldron.
With 1:40 left in the fourth, Mansfield is able to get on the board with a TD of their own but their excitement is quickly silenced as Lopez delivered a kick return for a TD. Adding the PAT, the games ended with a final score of 36-6 Waldron. “Our offensive stand-out in the game was running back, Kason Davis, and our defensive stand out was linebacker, Logan Young,” stated Coach Garett Lazenby. “I really enjoyed the physicality my team played with. The offensive line created some huge holes for the running backs. They really set the tone on offense. Running backs ran with some authority by running through tackles and dragging defenders. The defense played like a pack of wild animals flying to the football and delivering one big hit after another.”
