The McAdams Bulldogs secured a spot in the Class 1A playoffs for the second straight season.
The Bulldogs used a solid rushing attack and a stingy defense to beat Coffeeville 38-0 on Friday night. With the win, the Bulldogs are now 4-6 o the season and will travel to Puckett this week in a non-division contest.
The Bulldogs had little trouble with the Pirates as they rolled up 365 yards of total offense. The Bulldogs had 21 first downs to just three for the Pirates.
“We played really aggressive and pressurized them on defense,” McAdams coach Jim Risen said. “They were big up front and certainly not a pushover. But we got after them on offense and were able to move the football. Our skill people were a force. That’s a four-cylinder engine that works great together. It’s fantastic when they are all healthy.”
The Bulldogs started strong as Bubba Ward scored on a 28-yard run with 10:38 left in the first quarter. Kris Brown ran in the two-point conversion as McAdams led 8-0.
After stopping Coffeeville on its first possession, Brown scored on a 65-yard run with 5:46 left in the first quarter. Jordan Fleming scored the two-point conversion and McAdams led 16-0.
The Bulldogs continued to build the lead in the second quarter with a pair of touchdowns. The first was a 16-yard run by John Bayne with 8:32 left in the half. The try for two failed and McAdams led 22-0.
The Bulldogs made it 30-0 at the half as Brown scored on a 28-yard run for the final points of the half.
The Bulldogs added a second-half score as Ward scored on a 12-yard run with 9:32 left in the third. Fleming hit Jalen Perteet on the two-point conversion for the final margin of 38-0.
“I thought we ran the ball really well,” Risen said. “We are executing better. It’s that time of year where you want to be playing your best. We persevered though the injuries and that means everything at this time of year.”
On offense, the Bulldogs had 365 yards of total offense with 343 rushing. Brown led the way with 136 yards on 16 carries while Fleming had 118 yards on 12 carries and was 1-of-3 passing or 22 yards. Ward had 49 yards on eight carries while Bayne had 22 yards on three carries and DeMarcus Grey had 18 yards on two carries.
On defense, Ja’Quan Winters led the defense with six solo tackles and four assists with one blocked punt while Kendrioun Boatman had seven solo tackles and three assists with one sack. Percy Lewis had six solo tackles with two assists and one sack while Ward had four solo tackles with two assists and two forced fumbles. Jalen Perteet had five solo tackles and four assists with one sack while Lewis Latike had four solo tackles and three assists. John Bayne had two solos and three assists while Demarcus Gray had two solos and two assists with one pass breakup. McKyle Riley had two solo tackles and one pass break up.
The Bulldogs will hit the road as they travel to Puckett this week to take on the Wolves in a non-division contest.
Puckett is 6-4 on the season but has lost for in a row, falling to Madison St. Joseph (27-0), Mize (36-28), Pelahatchie (48-0) and Pisgah (31-7). They have wins over McLaurin (23-20), Clarkdale (32-0), Salem (46-24), West Lincoln (28-6), Enterprise (31-0) and Richland (49-38).
“They look like a pretty good team,” Risen said. “They are gritty and hard-nosed and will be a good test for us as we get ready to play Simmons. They run the trap real well as well as the speed sweep and the counter trey. They have a pretty good quarterback and running back. They do a lot of angle blocking which could pose a problem for our guy. They are basically wing-T out of the gun.”
