The Tioga Bulldogs varsity football team proved that they are their district’s top dogs by dismantling the Alvord Bulldogs 50-7 on Oct. 23.
Tioga avenged last season's loss to Alvord by pouncing on their opponents from the opening whistle and piling up over 400-yards of offense and 6 touchdowns while keeping Alvord out of the end zone for most of the contest.
“That was big win for us for district standings and playoff seeding,” said Zach Birdwell, Tioga athletic director and head football coach. “It was also big for us because that team took the district championship from us last year, so I was really happy for our guys on Friday night.”
Tioga made the first move in the matchup when quarterback Camden Stephens connected with wideout Jaxson Hurst for a 17-yard touchdown pass, giving Tioga an 8-0 lead after a successful 2-point conversion.
Tioga added to its lead when Stephens and Hurst linked up for another touchdown, this time from 8-yards out, extending Tioga’s lead to 14-0 midway through the first quarter.
Tioga’s defense got in on the scoring action when an errant snap by Alvord’s offense rolled into the end zone and was recovered by defensive tackle Seth Van Lieshout for a touchdown, making it a three-score lead for Tioga.
Stephens left the game briefly in the second quarter, and backup quarterback Cole Boyd came in and found Quesyn Arrington for a 13-yard touchdown pass, making the score 28-0 after a successful 2-point conversion.
Tioga continued pouring on the points in the second half with Stephens coming back into the game and finding Hurst for their third touchdown connection on the night, putting Tioga up 35-0 in the third quarter.
Running back Jaxton DeJernett collected Tioga’s next touchdown with a bruising 3-yard run, before defensive back Graydon Boyd put the final nail in Alvord’s coffin with an interception; he returned 56-yards for a touchdown, giving Tioga a 50-0 lead.
Alvord would finally find the end zone late in the fourth quarter, but it was too little too late with Tioga holding on to win 50-7.
“We were clicking in all three phases of the game,” Birdwell said. “We had two defensive touchdowns, and a lot of teams go a whole season with two defensive touchdowns. … Our offense was really balanced; even when Camden went down in the first quarter, Cole came in, and we kept operating. It was a total team effort.”
Stephens led Tioga through the air, completing 11 of 16 attempts for 157-yards passing and 3 touchdowns, with Boyd throwing for 95 yards and 1 touchdown during his time under center.
Running back Joseph Cuellar led Tioga on the ground with 13 carries for 113-yards rushing and 1 touchdown, while Hurst led in the receiving category with 7 catches for 106-yards and 3 touchdowns.
The win brings Tioga’s district record to 2-1 and leaves them in second place in the district standings as they prepare to face the Olney Cubs on Friday.
“We go on the road to face them, and winning on the road is a tough thing to do in any sport, but we feel like we’ve had enough games like this in district and non-district to prepare us to get off the bus ready to roll fast,” Birdwell said.
