The DeKalb Middle School Saints football team had high hopes for their last regular season game last Thursday evening. It was Eighth Grade Night during the game and the team wanted to end their season on a high note as they took on the Prescott Middle School Bulldogs.
The Saints won the toss and elected to defer until the second half, and the Bulldogs would return the kickoff to their own 38. From there Prescott wouldn’t go far. The first play from scrimmage, a run by Arturo Bryson, would go to the 38 where the drive would stall. On a fourth and 17 the Bulldogs punted, giving the Saints the ball at their own 29.
Juan Ortega got things going for DMS right away. A run took the ball to the 43, then another was good to the 47. Jon Hendrix then made a great pass to Devin Fish that was good to the Prescott 45. From there it would be Ortega and Hendrix. Ortega lost a yard, then Hendrix kept the ball down to the 33. Ortega was handed the ball again and this time he was in for the touchdown. The two-point attempt was no good, but the Saints took the first lead, 6-0, with 2:43 left in the first.
The Bulldogs started their next drive at their own 37. There, a pass to Nick Johnson was good to the 48, then a Jase Birdwell run lost yards at the 44. Prescott QB Andrew Hughes was then sacked back at the 38, leaving the Bulldogs with a third and 20. A pass to Johnson was complete at the 50, but then a fumble was recovered by the Saints.
The Saints’ good fortune looked to add points to the board, but penalties and mistakes would doom the drive. From the 50, a Hendrix pass to Fish fell incomplete, then a run by Ortega was negated by a holding penalty.
Hendrix gave new life to the drive as the second quarter began with a keeper that was good to the 38. DeKalb continued to move the ball with an Ortega run to the 33, and another keep to the 24. There, another penalty backed the Saints up. On a passing play the Saints was caught holding, then an Ortega run was good only for one yard. An encroachment on the Bulldogs gave DeKalb back five yards, but then Hendrix was sacked near the scrimmage line. On fourth down from the 38, the Saints went for it. The Pass to Fish was intercepted by Prescott, down at the 28.
Neither team would be able to move the ball on their next possessions. The Bulldogs would be plagued by a fumbled snap and incomplete passes before they punted, then the Saints would move down to the Prescott 32 before their drive would stall. On a fourth and five from the 35, again the Saints went for it. An option play to Ortega was down at the 39 and the Bulldogs got the ball on downs.
The Bulldogs started at their own 39, and the first play gave them life. A pass to Johnson was good all the way down to the Saints’ 14. It looked as if Prescott might finally get on the board but the DeKalb defense held strong. The Bulldogs would not gain another inch, and on a fourth and 10 play the Saints got a sack back at the 21. The Saints would run a couple of plays before time ticked away on the half.
The Saints would get the ball to start the second half, and right off the bat DeKalb made things happen. The kickoff gave DeKalb the ball at their own 34, and on the first play Ortega was handed the ball, taking it all the way in for the touchdown. A pitch to Ortega on the two-point try was good and the Saints took a 14-0 lead with 7:44 left in the third.
Prescott began moving the ball on their next possession, and looked as if the passing game might be their answer. Starting at their own 30, a pass to Caysen Martin was good to the 38, then another was good to the 47. A pass to Bryson took the ball down to the DeKalb 35, then a pass to Johnson was good to the 31. It was then that the drive stalled.
A pass to Jase Birdwell lost six yards, then a pass to Brody Parsons fell short. On a fourth and 12 play the Bulldogs went for it and the Saints D-line came away with a sack at the 41.
This time the Saints would make them pay. Hendrix kept the ball for a couple of plays, then a toss to Ortega was good to the Prescott 49. There, a false start backed them up five, but a keeper took the ball to the 40. Ortega was handed the ball again and took it to the 34, giving the Saints a first down.
A couple of QB keeps lost yardage as the fourth quarter began, then a pass to Fish fell incomplete, but Prescott was caught with a pass interference penalty. On first and 10 from the 23, Ortega took the ball to the 21, then a Hendrix run was good to the 11. The next play Ortega was once again in the end zone. Ortega was handed the ball again for two points and with 5:50 left to play, DeKalb was up 22-0.
On the kickoff, the Saints were able to grab the ball at the Prescott 28, but officials said the player was out of bounds when he grabbed it, giving the Bulldogs the ball. From there Prescott mounted an air attack that would finally put them on the scoreboard.
A pass to Johnson was good to the 38, then a pass to Martin was good to the 40. The Bulldogs then connected with Bryson at the 43, then back to Johnson for the first down at the 48. The next two passes went over the heads of the receivers, then a pass fell incomplete. On a fourth and 10 play, a pass to Johnson was good at the DeKalb 30.
Birdwell was handed the ball next, taking it to the Saints’ six, then the ball was handed to their biggest player, Israel Alvarez. His first run was stuffed at the line, but his second was into the end zone. The QB was sacked on the two-point attempt, but the Bulldogs were on the board 22-6 with 1:16 left to play.
The Bulldogs were down with very little time on the clock, but they never gave up. They attempted an onside kick and the ball bounced off of a Saints’ facemask and into the arms of a Prescott player at the Bulldogs’ 49.
It took only three plays and 50 seconds for Prescott to strike again. A pass to Johnson was good to the Saints’ 45, then a pass was complete but stopped at the 46. The next play was good for points. A pass to Coleton Coffee was good for the touchdown. An Alvarez run was good for two and just like that the Bulldogs cut the lead to a one possession game, 22-14 with 24 seconds left to play.
It all came down to one more onside kick attempt. The kick was made, but it didn’t have the bounce the first attempt had. The Saints recovered at the 38, and were able to form the victory formation to run out the clock. The Saints took the 22-14 victory.
The Saints end their regular season at 3-5, and will play a consolation game against Algood at home on Tuesday at 6:30.
