It's three wins in a row for the Tioga Bulldogs varsity football team after the Bulldogs dismantled the Carrollton Prince of Peace Eagles 45-6 on Sept. 25.
The Bulldogs’ successful road trip to Carrollton saw them rack up over 400 and 6 touchdowns in the win.
“It was a really good showing from our guys, and we’re exactly where we were hoping to be at the end of non-district,” said Zach Birdwell, Tioga athletic director and head football coach. “… We were able to come out and set the tone from the beginning by returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown, and our guys just rolled with it after that. We had a lot of big plays, and I’m just proud of them for their response the last three weeks.”
Tioga made its way into the end zone first when Camden Stephens wound his way through Prince of Peace’s kickoff coverage team and returned the opening kickoff for a 60-yard touchdown, putting the Bulldogs up 8-0 after a successful 2-point conversion.
Tioga’s defense secured the Bulldogs’ next score by blocking an Eagles’ punt for a safety, giving Tioga a 10-0 lead early in the first quarter.
The Bulldogs scored again when receiver Quesyn Arrington caught a quick pass behind the line of scrimmage, heading toward the edge of the Eagles’ defense before he reversed field and outran the defense for a 43-yard touchdown.
Stephens connected with receiver Jaxson Hurst on a screen pass, which Hurst turned into a 50-yard touchdown, giving the Bulldogs a 24-0 lead.
Tioga’s next score came when Arrington caught a bubble screen pass from Stephens and slipped through Prince of Peace’s defense for a 60-yard touchdown reception, extending the Bulldogs’ lead to 32-0.
A few minutes later, Stephens found Hurst for the duo’s second touchdown connection, this time from 27 yards out, making the score 39-0.
The Bulldogs got their final touchdown when Stephens scrambled out of the pocket and found Hurst open behind the Eagles' defense, putting Tioga up 45-0 at the half.
The Eagles were able to get on the scoreboard by returning a punt for a touchdown in the second half after the Bulldogs pulled their starters from the contest, but Tioga held on to win by the final score 45-6.
Stephens led the Bulldogs’ offense, completing 13 of 14 passes for 316 yards and 5 touchdowns, with Arrington and Hurst as his top targets, combining for 236 yards and 5 receiving touchdowns.
Birdwell highlighted the play of the Bulldogs' defense and special teams, which forced two turnovers, scored a touchdown and added a safety in the win.
“They set the tone,” he said. “It was 10-0 before our offense ever got the ball. Being able to come out, score and set the tempo for the rest of the night was really big. We leaned on our defense early in the year, and they’ve been playing well since the beginning of the season.”
With the season back on track after an 0-2 start, Birdwell expressed his appreciation for his team’s trust turnaround as they head into their bye week.
“We knew it would be a three-week journey to get back to a winning record, and the kids showed up, trusted our vision for nondistrict and stayed rooted in the process, and I’m just thankful for them,” he said. “… Moving forward everything is tied to winning gold footballs now, and what better way to start than with a backto- back state champion and the team picked to win the district in Muenster.”
The Bulldogs will return from their bye week Oct. 9 to face the No. 8 ranked Muenster Hornets at Bulldog Stadium in Tioga.
