The Tioga Bulldogs varsity football team earned their second win of the season, defeating the Tom Bean Tomcats 6020 on Sept. 18.
The Bulldogs sent the Tomcats scrambling back to Tom Bean with an offense showcase, totaling over 600 yards and 7 touchdowns, headlined by quarterback Camden Stephens.
“Our thing early this season is to be a program rooted in the process, and it’s been a little different this year, but I’m just grateful to our kids for trusting us and playing well tonight, knowing how our nondistrict [schedule] is set up, and it paid off with a 60-0 score at halftime,” said Zach Birdwell, Tioga athletic director and head football coach.
It was all Tioga from the opening kickoff, with Stephens connecting with receiver Jaxson Hurst for a 63-yard touchdown pass on his first throw of the game, giving the Bulldogs an 8-0 lead after a successful 2-point conversion.
Stephens called his own number on the Bulldogs’ second touchdown, racing around the right edge of the Tomcats’ defense for a 35-yard touchdown run, making the score 16-0 midway through the first quarter.
Tioga turned the ball over with an interception on their next possession, but Stephens bounced back on the fourth drive, finding receiver Quesyn Arrington open behind the Tomcats’ defense for a 44-yard bomb that gave the Bulldogs a three-score lead.
On the ensuing Bulldogs’ drive, Stephens found receiver Kyson Kirkland wide open, hitting him in stride for a 74-yard touchdown connection.
A few plays later Stephens called his own number again on a designed run and sliced through Tom Bean’s defense for a 75-yard touchdown run, extending the Bulldogs' first-half lead.
The Bulldogs would add three more touchdowns before halftime, with a screen pass to Hurst, a fumble returned for a touchdown and a 20yard touchdown run by running back Jake David to take a 60-0 lead.
The Tomcats would score in the second half after the Bulldogs rested their starters, but Tioga held on to take the win 6020.
Stephens finished the night with 491 yards of total offense and 6 TDs, with Hurst finishing as his top target with 169 yards receiving on 4 catches and 2 TDs.
Stephens said he was at a loss for words after his first night as Tioga’s signal caller.
“I don’t even know how to describe it,” he said. “That first touchdown was an adrenaline dump. After all the stress we've dealt with and the work we put in this week, just to get the throw off and see it pay off like it did was perfect.”
Arrington added that the win was even more special because of the homecoming crowd.
“We were hungry; it's homecoming, and everybody was here to watch us, so we had to play our hearts out for them,” he said.
With Tioga’s record now sitting at .500, Birdwell emphasized that the Bulldogs still have all their season goals ahead of them.
“We were sitting at 0-2 after playing an unbelievable Fort Worth Southwest Christian team, and we challenged our kids to start a three-week process of getting back to 3-2, and they checked the second box tonight,” he said. “We’re looking to check the last one next week before we roll into district, so we have one more game to finish nondistrict and get some guys healthy.”
Tioga will conclude the nondistrict portion of its schedule on the road against Carrollton Prince of Peace High School at 7 p.m. Friday at Eagle Stadium.
