Big-play Bulldogs bounce Beauregard
BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LAFAYETTE — Following a 47-31 season opener loss to Beulah High School the week before, LaFayette High School head football coach Douglas Jones Jr. challenged his team to more consistently produce explosive plays.
The Bulldogs (1-1) took that message to heart, burying a young and inexperienced Beauregard High School team beneath an avalanche of long passes, punt blocks and interceptions to win 45-22 at Bulldog Stadium on Aug. 28.
Demetrius Harrington led LaFayette by going 13-for-20 for 284 passing yards and four touchdowns, while Jay Whitlow finished with 16 carries for 111 yards and a TD and Zephi Madden made 12 total tackles and two tackles for loss.
Jeffery Holloway scored two rushing TDs and Jadontae Jones snagged an interception for the Hornets (0-2).
For Douglas Jones Jr., a LaFayette native who starred at wide receiver for the Bulldogs in the mid-to-late 2000s, the hometown atmosphere and final score were sweet, even as he deflected the attention to his overjoyed players.
“I’ve wanted this moment for a long time, but not just for myself, it’s for these kids,” Douglas Jones Jr. said. “I was born and raised in this community, and I just want the best for our community and for our kids. They mean a lot to me, and these fans mean a lot to me. Getting this first [win] in my era is okay, but I want many more for [my players], they deserve it.”
While there were plenty of big performances to go around, Kemare Harrington displayed his triple-threat nature for the Bulldogs with three receptions for 89 yards and a TD, an interception and a 35-yard punt return.
He said a postgame pep talk from Douglas Jones Jr. after the loss to Beulah rallied the team, and the Bulldogs would look to keep the momentum rolling into region play.
“It felt good to get my coach a win because last week he was mad about the loss, but we came back this week and played hard,” Kemare Harrington said. “It’s a good win because it gives us confidence going into the next game, which is a region game against Woodland. So, we’re going to come hard next week.”
After a scoreless opening quarter that saw Jadontae Jones intercept a LaFayette pass deep in Beauregard territory, the Bulldogs turned the second quarter into a rout, piling up 25 points before halftime and riding a string of big plays.
LaFayette first broke through when Demetrius Harrington hit Madden for a 7-yard TD with 11:22 left in the second quarter. The extra point was good, and from there the Bulldogs’ defense and special teams took control.
Kemare Harrington’s interception at the LaFayette 45 set up the next score, a gorgeous 24-yard over-the-shoulder TD grab by Kentavious Cobb with 7:54 to go in the half.
Zaquarious Jackson then stretched the lead with a 63-yard TD reception around the six-minute mark, though a penalty on the Bulldogs erased the two-point try, leaving it 19-0.
Special teams delivered the next blow when Kentravion Patten scooped up a blocked punt and returned it 18 yards for a TD with 3:19 remaining, pushing LaFayette’s margin to 25-0.
Beauregard finally answered right before the break as Holloway broke free on a 65-yard TD run and Shane Morrison ran in the two-point conversion, sending the Bulldogs into halftime up 25-8.
The third quarter belonged to LaFayette’s kicking game. An interception by Keyshawn Beard at the LaFayette 48 with 6:14 left set the tone, and Kemare Harrington hauled in a 52-yard TD catch moments later to make it 31-8.
Then, after another blocked punt and a 35-yard return by Kemare Harrington, Whitlow punched in a 5-yard TD run and added a two-point conversion catch to open a 39-8 lead.
That sequence, packed into roughly three minutes of game time, perhaps best captured the Bulldogs’ evening.
“We talk about all three phases of the game, and that phase [special teams] was big,” Douglas Jones Jr. said. “We knew we could have some big plays there — I thought maybe in the return game — but our guys got back there, got their hands on the ball and gave us [good] field position.”
Beauregard, to its credit, showed it could also make plays on special teams. Following Whitlow’s TD, Holloway rumbled down the Hornets’ sideline on a long kickoff return that set the Hornets up at the LaFayette 10 yard line. Holloway capped the drive with a 2-yard TD run and a two-point conversion run to trim the deficit to 39-16 with 1:21 left in the third.
LaFayette responded in the fourth quarter when Tomekeo Lockhart broke loose for a 67-yard touchdown reception with 2:28 to play, extending the lead to 45-16.
Amari Philpot finally closed out the scoring for Beauregard, bouncing off right tackle for a 22-yard touchdown run with 52 seconds remaining to set the final margin at 45-22.
On paper, the game appeared somewhat of a mismatch, with LaFayette being a Class 1A school with 133 students and Beauregard being a Class 4A school with 390 students.
While the Alabama High School Football Historical Society’s power rating system considered the Hornets 21-point favorites, a roster with only a handful of seniors and only four players with previous varsity experience evened the playing field.
“Last week, I didn’t think we gave great effort [in a 27-0 loss to Reeltown High School]. I think it was due to it being our first time competing,” Beauregard head coach Seneric McCurdy said. “I think the kids gave better effort tonight to play for all four quarters. Even though we were down, they never gave up. It’s a young group, so every game is going to be a learning process, and we can’t fix everything at one time.”
The Bulldogs travel to face Woodland High School at Warren Sewell Field on Friday, Sept. 4, at 7 p.m. in their first Class 1A Region 6 game of the season. The Bobcats (1-1) are coming off a 53-13 loss to Walter Wellborn High School.
