Decatur's defense gets stingy in 2nd half in 32-20 win over Stephenson
The Decatur Bulldogs found themselves in familiar territory on Friday night after their 32-20 win over Stephenson as they improved to 3-0, which they did back during the 2021 season when they won eight consecutive games to start the season.
And while momentum remains on the side of the Bulldogs, Friday’s win came with a much expected challenge from Stephenson and would require the Decatur defense and special teams to come through in the second half with a shutout performance.
“Shout out to Stephenson for coming through and putting on a great display. They really challenged us in a lot of ways and we had to try and figured things out. Ultimately our guys decided that they were going to take control of the game and that’s what they did,” Decatur head coach, William Felton said after Friday’s game which began with both teams scoring on their opening drives.
As the game got underway, Decatur would return the opening kickoff to the Stephenson 29-yard line and on the first play from scrimmage, Decatur running back Tim Britt would take the handoff and score on a 29-yard rushing touchdown as the Bulldogs would take the early 8-0 lead after the successful two-point conversion.
On the ensuing Stephenson possession, the Jaguars would drive down the field and score on a Marte Barton touchdown pass to Julius Favors as Stephenson would trail 8-7 after the extra point. The Jaguars would then force Decatur to punt on their ensuing possession and that would lead to Stephenson’s Anthony Booker returning the kick for a touchdown as the Jaguars would take the lead, going up 13-8.
Decatur would soon regain the lead thanks to a Baron Scott touchdown pass to Jersharius Lawrence touchdown pass as the Bulldogs would go up 15-13, however Stephenson would answer in the second quarter with another Barton touchdown, this time on the ground going up 20-15 and like a back and forth heavy weight fight, Decatur would score once again as Scott’s second touchdown pass of the night would go to Darius White, who finished with two touchdowns on the night.
“Throughout the week, coach gave us the game plan, he told us to execute it and we did just that and we came out with the dub,” White said as he praised his teammates for their efforts in Friday’s game. And while the Bulldogs found themselves back in front going into the locker room at the half, it would be the performance of the defense in the second half, holding the Jaguars scoreless, which would be key in Decatur’s win.
“We go by T-T-E, toughness, turnover, effort,” Decatur defensive lineman, Marquavious Hood said crediting the Bulldogs’ defense for their lockdown performance in the second half. “Everybody to the ball, 1-0 every week, that’s the mindset,” Hood said. Now with their non-region schedule behind them, the Bulldogs will get set for their region opener next week against Chamblee and Felton knows that some of the mistakes they made on Friday have to be eliminated.
“It’s never going to be perfect but we’re always trying to diminish those mistakes week to week until we can get them down pack and be consistent at that,” Felton said of the areas he wants his team to work on as they move forward this season.
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