A couple of McAdams mistakes helped Sebastopol in a season-opening 37-8 victory over the Bulldogs.
A bad snap resulted in a turnover that gave Sebastopol the ball in McAdams territory and the Bobcats cashed in with a touchdown for an early 7-0 lead.
Sebastopol made it 14-0 in the first quarter, and that was the halftime score.
“We kind of settled down in the second quarter. We played hard and kept them out of the end zone,” said Coach Kenneth Nelson.
Another fumble by McAdams on the opening possession of the second half led to a third Sebastopol touchdown.
“That kind of broke our back,” Nelson said. “After that, they kind of wore us down.”
Sebastopol stretched the lead to 37-0 before McAdams scored on a fourth-quarter TD run of 11 yards by Triniko Brown. Jalen Greer caught a pass from Jamar Teague for the two-point conversion.
The Bulldogs totaled 89 yards on the ground and 64 through the air on four completions by Teague. Brown caught two passes for 40 yards. Tydarrious Williams was the leading runner with four carries for 49 yards.
Jalen Greer was the Bulldogs’ leading tackler with 11 solos and one assist. Jamarion Thompson had six solos and two assists. Tyrick Davis and Ed Stewart were each credited with six tackles.
Nelson said the Bulldogs are solid in the secondary with Brown, Greer, Teague and Chad Lee, but he added, “We have some work to do up front. A lot of the guys are ninth and 10th graders. This was their first time seeing a high school game. A lot of those guys were with me in junior high.”
Sebastopol reached the second round of the playoffs last year and figures to be one of the state's top 1A teams this year. Nelson said there are benefits to playing a strong opponent.
“It's going to make us tougher. You like to have non-district games against teams you can compete with along with teams that will raise your level of play. It will make us ready for district,” said the coach.
The Bulldogs begin Region 2-1A play Sept. 24 with a home game against Coldwater.
McAdams has a road game tonight with Hamilton before returning home Sept. 10 for a matchup with Ethel. Hamilton opened the season with a 25-7 loss to Southeast Lauderdale.
“They have a big running back who does a decent job,” Nelson said, referring to Joshua Harrison.
