Bulldogs’ comeback bid falls short
BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LAFAYETTE — LaFayette High School’s ferocious comeback attempt on the road against Beulah High School came up short at a rain-soaked Bobcat Stadium on Aug. 21, with the Bulldogs (0-1) falling 47-31 to the Bobcats (1-0).
LaFayette grabbed an early lead, traded blows deep into the fourth quarter and twice pulled within a single score, only to watch Beulah’s rushing attack slam the door each time.
Demetrius Harrington completed 20 of 30 passes for 253 yards and two TDs, Jay Whitlow rushed 17 times for 76 yards and two TDs and Trae Patton recorded nine tackles and a tackle for loss for the Bulldogs.
Brody Peacock paced Beulah, rushing 19 times for 102 yards and four touchdowns. Kason Kalla added 97 yards and two TDs on 10 carries, and Tristen Robinson finished with five carries for 107 yards and a TD.
Despite the difficult result, LaFayette head coach Douglas Jones Jr. said he was proud of his team’s resilience and fight in the second half.
“We told the guys we had to dig in because we [weren’t] out of the game. I’m happy we didn’t give up,” Jones said. “I think it’s something we can build off of. We just have to keep rising above adversity and persevere. We’ll let this loss be what it is and move forward next week.”
Harrison Grant stepped in front of a Bulldog receiver and snagged an interception that initially appeared to be a 71-yard pick-six with 8:42 left in the first quarter, but a block-in-the-back penalty negated the return. Roughly two minutes later, Peacock got Beulah on the board first with a bruising 25-yard TD run off right tackle.
The Bulldogs quickly struck back, with Whitlow returning the kickoff down to the Beulah 46-yard line. Whitlow ultimately capitalized on his earlier big play with a physical 2-yard TD run to tie the game 7-7 with 4:20 left in the first quarter.
Then, Zaqarious Jackson provided the game’s most electric moment with a 90-yard pick-six less than two minutes later to give LaFayette a 13-7 lead after the PAT was no good.
That was the last time the Bulldogs led.
From there, Peacock took over the rest of the first half with two consecutive rushing touchdowns. The first came as time expired at the end of the first quarter to tie the game 13-13, and the other came several minutes into the second quarter.
A 1-yard TD plunge from Kalla and a successful two-point conversion pass to Tristen Robinson put Beulah up 27-13 with 4:18 left before halftime.
However, LaFayette was not done. After showing some promise offensively early in the third quarter and getting a stop defensively, the Bulldogs cut into Beulah’s lead when Whitlow found paydirt with a 6-yard scamper through the heart of the Bobcats’ defense.
With Beulah now leading 27-19 with 5:02 left in the third quarter, the situation quickly became more dire for the Bobcats. Kemare Harrington, who caught nine passes for 77 yards and a TD, got LaFayette to within two points after snagging an 8-yard TD catch less than a minute into the fourth quarter.
Peacock, with a powerful 6-yard run off left tackle less than four minutes later, gave Beulah some breathing room by putting the Bobcats up 33-25 after the two-point conversion attempt was no good.
Beulah quickly tacked on an insurance score as Robinson blasted off tackle for a 23-yard TD run with 4:42 left in the game to put Beulah up 40-25.
Despite the growing deficit, Zephi Madden kept the Bulldogs within plausible striking distance with a quick-strike 75-yard TD reception that saw him high point the deep ball and split two Bobcats 22 seconds after Robinson’s TD for Beulah.
Madden proved to be arguably LaFayette’s most versatile player, finishing with two receptions for 97 yards and the TD to go with six tackles and one tackle for loss.
While the Bulldogs were able to generate numerous explosive plays, Jones said his team needed to make them consistently while getting acclimated to new offensive and defensive systems.
“We’ve just got to connect and make big plays,” Jones said. “I don’t want to make an excuse for us, but it’s the first game of the season. New system, new play calling, stuff like that. It’s something we’ve got to get used to and we’ve got to get used to it quickly. I think we can, and I think we will.”
Kalla then ended any chance of LaFayette closing the gap late, capping off a grueling drive with a 5-yard TD run off a read option with 1:04 left to play.
Beulah head coach Michael Courson said his team had the character required to compete in tough games like last Friday’s, and that they displayed it when the going got toughest.
“We felt like we had some command, and then that third quarter kind of got away from us,” Courson said. “To be able to close it out in the fourth quarter by fighting through that adversity, and coming out here and handling ourselves the right way, that means a lot. That’s the standard we’re pushing, and these guys are accepting that. We won this first game, and now hopefully there’s some carryover into next week.”
The Bulldogs will host Beauregard High School on Friday, Aug. 28, at Bulldog Stadium. The Hornets are coming off a 28-0 home loss to Reeltown High School.
