The Tioga Bulldogs football team capped their regular season with a 5013 road win over the Nocona Indians on Nov. 7.
The Bulldogs piled up 350 yards of total offense and six touchdowns and kept Nocona contained on their way to securing their fifth win of the season.
“We checked one box for the first time in the season, and that was going on the road and winning,” said Zach Birdwell, Tioga athletic director and head football coach. “… We’re battling through some injuries, resting up some kids, and we had some illness going through the team this week, so we had some new kids in new spots, so to come out and execute, hold a team to two scores and score 50 points, we’re happy with our kids’ performance tonight.”
Tioga found the end zone first when quarterback Kyson Kirkland hit receiver Quesyn Arrington on a bubble screen, and Quesyn weaved his way through Nocona’s defense for a 12-yard touchdown.
Tioga led 8-0 after a successful twopoint conversion by Jaxson Hurst.
Tioga added to its lead when de- fensive back Justin Arrington intercepted an overthrown Nocona pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown, and offensive lineman Cooper Fisher extended the lead to 16-0 with a successful two-point conversion run.
Nocona answered with a 62-yard touchdown strike, making the score 16-6 after a blocked extra point attempt.
Tioga responded with a touchdown pass of its own when Kirkland found Hurst running up the sideline open, hitting him for a 60-yard score, putting the Bulldogs back up by two touchdowns.
Nocona’s ensuing drive ended in Justin’s second interception of the night, and Kirkland capped Tioga’s next drive with a 4-yard touchdown run, pushing the Bulldog’s lead to 28-6.
After Nocona’s next drive stalled, Tioga marched the ball down the field, ending the drive with Kirkland hitting Hurst on a slant for a 9-yard touchdown to make the score 36-6.
Kirkland and Hurst would connect once more, this time from 30 yards out, padding Tioga’s lead to 43-6.
Both teams would add late scores, with Tioga quarterback Caden Downing scrambling in for a 5-yard touchdown to make the final score 5013.
Kirkland led the Bulldogs with 275 yards of total offense and five touchdowns, while Hurst finished as his top target with 8 catches for 117 yards and 3 touchdowns.
“Hats off to our guy Kyson Kirkland, rolling into his first ever start at quarterback and having himself a few touchdowns,” Birdwell said. “He operated the offense, and at the end of the day, that’s what we need from the quarterback position.”
Kirkland cited his teammates for his performance.
“I couldn’t ask for a cleaner pocket all night; no matter the play, our line did their job, and the receivers we have, they’re all dogs,” he said. “Having their support and being able to lean on them was a huge [deal]. I definitely had a lot of nerves coming into the game. It was a little rocky on that first drive, but we got rolling and every time I made a mistake, they were right there to pat my back and say, ‘You’re good, bro,’ so they were for sure a big part of why I was able to play as well as I did.”
Justin, who led the defense with 3 interceptions, credited the defense’s performance to the team’s preparation process.
“Our defense brings it every day in practice,” he said. “We give our all each play, and a lot of us, especially my brother Quesyn and I, put in extra work through the weekend because we know what’s expected on Friday night.”
Birdwell said the win could provide a mental boost for the team as the Bulldogs prepare for the playoffs.
“One of our core values is confidence, and when you shuffle through the roster as much as we have this year, there can be moments where you could lose a little bit of it, so it was good to see our kids play with confidence tonight,” he said. “If anybody didn’t have it, they regained it tonight, and we’re lucky enough to roll into the playoffs and play another week, and we want to roll in this thing with that same confidence.”
