The ECI Bulldogs looked like a different football team than the previous week at Metter. The Green Wave from Terrell County traveled to Twin City last Friday night to clash with the Bulldogs.
After deferring to the second half, ECI forced a Terrell County punt after kicking off to start the game. The Bulldogs leaned hard on freshman Brian Steele and bullied the Green Wave defensive line on their first drive.
Steele scored from 3 yards out to get the Bulldogs on the board with 5:34 left in the first quarter. The PAT by Samuel McBride was good, and ECI took an early 7–0 lead.
The stingy Bulldog defense again forced a punt after only allowing a handful of plays. Starting from their own 40-yard line after a Terrell County punt, ECI methodically broke off chunk runs by PJ Farnum before Steele again scored. This time, it would be an 8-yard scamper with 11:13 left in the second quarter. The PAT was no good, however, making the score 13-0 ECI.
Terrell County finally got things going and drove as deep into ECI territory as possible. However, Hudson Henry came up with an enormous stop on a fourth-and-goal from the one. Unfortunately, the next Bulldog drive was cut short by a turnover, and the Green Wave took advantage of the situation, connecting on a TD pass with 1:18 left in the first half.
The Bulldogs blocked the PAT and led 13–6.
ECI had another promising drive end with a crucial turnover that was returned for a touchdown. Again, the Green Wave PAT was missed, and Terrell County still trailed the Bulldogs 13–12 going into halftime.
The Bulldogs looked rejuvenated coming out of the half and after recieving the kickoff, Jones and Cordarious Lee led ECI down the field following big gains. Lee capped off the 8-play drive with a 16-yard TD run. The PAT by McBride was down the middle, and the Bulldogs stretched their lead 20–12 with 8:30 left in the third quarter.
After kicking off, ECI forced a fumble on the Green Wave’s first play from scrimmage after the half. Again, ECI marched at a steady pace down the field, and QB Bryce Kearson scored on a QB sneak, followed by a successful 2-point conversion by Steele, giving the Bulldogs a 28-12 lead.
Joseph Connor gave the offense the ball back after batting down a crucial third down pass by Terrell County. The ECI offense went back to work, and Lee broke off a 44-yard TD run with 4:08 left in the third quarter. After another successful PAT, ECI began to pull away comfortably 35–12.
The Bulldog defense again forced a Green Wave punt, but penalties hampered the ensuing drive by ECI. Henry made another big play for the ECI defense, this time by intercepting a Terrell County pass. Kearson picked up his second TD of the night after connecting with Kobi Allen from 20 yards out. An unsuccessful PAT brought the score to 41–12 with 6:12 left to play.
ECI’s defense gave nothing to the Green Wave offense and blocked a punt, resulting in a TD by Kris Jackson. The PAT was good, thus putting the Bulldogs up 48–12 which was the final score.
The Bulldogs were led on the night by Cordarious Lee and Brian Steele ,who combined for 173 rushing yards and 4 TDs. Bryce Kearson added 45 yards in the air for 1 score and 10 yards rushing for another TD. PJ Farnum racked up 68 yards on the ground while DJ Jones and Kobi Allen combined for another 87 rushing yards.
The Bulldogs will travel to Montezuma this Friday night for a big-time clash with the Bulldogs from Macon County. As of press time, all tickets will be digital tickets and must be purchased online through gofan.com. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.