The Tioga Bulldogs football team had their three-game winning streak snapped in a 53-48 loss to the No. 7-ranked Muenster Hornets on Oct. 9.
It was a back-and-forth contest that saw the two teams combine for over 1,000 yards of offense and 15 touchdowns, but the Hornets made the plays in the end to escape with the win.
“I’m proud of our kids, proud of their fight and proud of the work they put in to get to this moment,” said Zach Birdwell, Tioga athletic director and head football coach. “We have a program that wants to win the bye week, and our group did that, but we’re also a program that doesn’t believe in moral victories, and at the end of the day, regardless of the score, we came out on the wrong side of it, but we have a 24-hour rule. We’ll get some things fixed and be ready to respond next week because that’s what we do.”
The Bulldogs struck the first blow in the match when quarterback Camden Stephens found receiver Jaxson Hurst open in the middle of the Hornets' defense for a 16yard touchdown pass, giving Tioga an 8-0 lead after a successful 2-point conversion.
After forcing a turnover on downs on Muenster’s ensuing possession, Tioga added to its lead with a 1-yard goal line plunge by running back Jake David, taking a 14-0 lead after a failed 2-point conversion attempt.
The Bulldogs completed their first quarter scoring barrage with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Stephens to David, taking a 22-0 lead after a successful 2-point conversion.
Muenster finally found its footing near the end of the first quarter when Hornets quarterback Carter Heller slipped through Tioga’s defense for a 28-yard touchdown run, making the score 22-6 after a missed extra point attempt.
The Hornets’ defense forced the Bulldogs to punt on their next drive, and their offense took advantage of the possession with a 3-yard touchdown run by running back Maverick Bayer, making it one score game.
Tioga responded with a rushing score of its own when David broke a pair of arm tackles and raced away from the Hornets’ defense for a 59-yard touchdown, sending the teams into the half with Tioga leading 2813.
Muenster got the second- half shootout underway when Heller rumbled through Tioga’s defense for a 17-yard touchdown run, pulling the Hornets with one possession.
Muenster cut Tioga’s lead to 1 point, 28-27, when Heller found wide receiver Jeremiah Franklin open behind Tioga’s secondary for a 39-yard touchdown strike.
The Hornets got a quick turnaround after intercepting a pass on the Bulldogs' next drive that set Muenster’s offense up in Tioga’s 2-yard line, which the Hornets punched in one play later to take the lead 33-28.
The Bulldogs retook the lead with a 39-yard touchdown run of their own from Stephens that put Tioga back on top 34-33, but Muenster only needed one play on its next drive to regain the lead when Heller slipped through Tioga’s defense for a 70-yard touchdown run, putting the Hornets up 40-34, which remained the score as the contest entered the final quarter of play.
The two teams continued trading touchdowns in the fourth quarter, with Heller finding the end zone on two scores for Muenster and Stephens connecting with Hurst and Quesyn Arrington, but the Hornets held on to win by the final score of 53-48.
Stephens led the Bulldogs with 421 yards of total offense and 6 TDs, followed by David, who carried the ball 16 times for 167 and 1 TD, while Hurst led in receiving with 7 catches for 129 yards and 2 TDs.
With the loss, Birdwell said the Bulldogs will need help from other teams in the district if they hope to win the district championship but said the team will focus on themselves in the meantime.
“Regardless of the outcome tonight, we believe we are good enough to beat anybody we step on the field with if we are the best version of ourselves for four quarters, so that’s our focus,” he said. “We’re on a four-week journey now to check these next four games, be 7-3, and, regardless of how the district standings turn out, be ready to rock in the playoffs. We’re a program that sets our standard at a certain level, and we want to accomplish all our goals, but playoff wins are the ultimate goal, and those are still on the table.”
