Marshall County Post Photo by Dennis Holley Austin Cooper is tackled after a gain for the Bulldogs.
By Dennis Holley
Sports Writer
CORNERSVILLE — After suffering through the heat and a one-point loss last week in Chapel Hill the Cornersville Bulldogs (1-1, 0-0) returned to the comfort of ‘Frog Bottom’ on the campus of Cornersville High School to face the Collinwood Trojans (1-1, 1-0) to begin their Region 5 1-A schedule.
The Bulldogs and Trojans treated the Cornersville crowd with classic, hard-nose running, hard-hitting defense and as with most close games – one or two plays made the difference as Collinwood gained a 12-0 victory.
Cornersville’s Ben Franklin ran 13 times for 75 yards and quarterback Blaine Woodard went 7-for-19 and 79 yards through the air.
Collinwood won the toss, elected to receive and moved the ball to mid-field before the Bulldog defense bowed it’s back.
First, Wesley Pigg made a stop for no-gain, Jonathan Zuniga and Ben Franklin sacked the Trojan quarterback.
The ‘Dawgs then got off the field on fourth down when a pass fell incomplete and Cornersville took over at its own 39-yard line.
The first play from scrimmage was a 6-yard run by Blaine Woodard followed by runs by Franklin and Austin King that brought up a fourth and inches, Woodard ran to just past the midfield stripe for the first down.
Runs by Franklin and King set up a third and seven, then King caught a Woodard pass for a first down to the Collinwood 25-yard line.
But the drive stalled and when the Bulldogs attempted a 22-yard field goal, a high snap disrupted the timing, and the Trojans took over on their own 10-yard line tied 0-0.
With Pigg and King leading the defense, Cornersville forced a Collinwood punt that landed on the Trojan 42-yard line and rolled backwards and was d
Marshall County Post Photo by Dennis Holley The Bulldog defensive front delivers a stand against Collinwood.
owned at the 37-yard line where the ‘Dawgs took over with 7:57 until half time.
Cornersville advanced to the Trojan 27-yard line, but the Collinwood defense stiffened forcing a fourth down pass that fell short giving the ball over to the Trojans with 5:39 left in the second quarter.
The Cornersville defense flexed but stopped the Trojans at the Bulldog 35-yard line forcing a short punt where the Bulldogs took over on their own 27-yard line with 1:13 until halftime.
Despite passes to Hunter Uland and Beau Schillig, the Bulldogs could go no further as the half time horn sounded with the score still knotted at zero.
The third quarter kickoff from Collinwood rolled out of bounds and the Bulldogs began from the 35-yard line as
Marshall County Post Photo by Dennis Holley Blaine Woodard drops back for a pass for Cornersville.
Franklin gained three yards, but lost yardage on the next play and an incomplete pass brought up a fourth down where the Bulldog fake punt attempt was stopped short at their own 35-yard line.
The Trojans ripped off runs by Thompson and Blake Whitten that moved the ball to the 6-yard line for a first down and goal but Cornersville’s Pigg and Franklin delivered on back-to-back sacks that moved the ball back to the 24-yard line.
A bobbled snap and a loss of three yards set up Thompson’s pass on fourth and 27 to Nick Sanderson for the touchdown, but the kick after failed, leaving the Trojans with a 6-0 lead with 4:29 left in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs received the kick-off and a first down pass to Uland netted eight yards, but on second down the pass was intercepted by Collinwood gaining at the Bulldog 31-yard line with time slipping away in the third quarter.
The Trojans wasted this chance with a facemask penalty.
A botched snap and a long pass incompletion setting up a fourth and 15 punt to the Bulldog 20-yard line with 1:51 left in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs began to gain momentum as Franklin ripped off an 11-yard run for a first down and a 12-yard run on second down to the 43-yard line as time ran out in the third quarter, with Cornersville still trailing 6-0.
The Bulldogs began the fourth quarter with a second down incomplete pass, off-setting penalties, and another incompletion on third down that brought up a fourth down punting situation that could have been disastrous for Cornersville had it not been for the quick thinking of freshman punter Jackson Smith.
Smith positioned to receive the snap, saw the ball sail over his head and roll to the Cornersville 15-yard line where he chased it down and headed up-field, but the Trojans were converging on him and with on-field savvy that brought a smile to the coaches on the sidelines, Smith had the foresight to kick the ball and with Trojan defenders flying towards him there was no one to field it up field and the ball rolled to the Collinwood 25-yard line where the Bulldogs downed it.
With 11:09 left in the game, the Trojans took over and began a drive that delivered the victory for the the visitors.
A breakaway run by Whitten moved the ball to the Cornersville 29-yard line and then Wesley Brewer ran for a first down to the 5-yard line.
Thompson then rolled into the end zone for the touchdown and despite a failed 2-point conversion with 6:01 left in the game, the Trojans led, 12-0.
The Bulldogs gained two more possessions but a failed fourth down incompletion and the scoreboard clock showing zeros meant the Bulldogs fell to the Trojans 12-0.
“I told our team I know Collinwood will come in and fight their tails off. They are big, strong, and tough and to beat them was not going to be easy. We needed to make a few more plays, but we just couldn’t get it done,” Bulldog coach Eliot Cook said.
The Bulldogs travel to Nashville next Friday to take on the Ezell-Harding Eagles in a non-region game.
Collinwood 0 0 6 6 — 12
Cornersville 0 0 0 0 — 0
Third Quarter
CW —Nick Sanderson 27 pass from Thompson, (kick failed), 4:29.
Fourth Quarter
CW – Fletcher Thompson 1 run, (kick failed), 6:01.
