Sweet Water Bulldogs win 11th state title
Published 2:58 pm Thursday, December 9, 2021
- The Sweet Water Bulldogs celebrate their 11th state title and fourth victory of the Wadley Bulldogs. Photo by Andrea Burroughs|Demopolis Times
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The 1A State Championship game started off with a scare for the Sweet Water Bulldogs when Wadley took the opening kickoff back for a score. However, the Bulldogs didn’t let that bother them, and they went on to defeat Wadley 40-16.
The Sweet Water Bulldogs took on the Wadley Bulldogs in the 1A State Championship game last Thursday, December 2. Photo by Andrea Burroughs|Demopolis Times
The 1A State Championship game started off with a scare for the Sweet Water Bulldogs when Wadley took the opening kickoff back for a score. However, the Bulldogs didn’t let that bother them, and they went on to defeat Wadley 40-16.
Wadley opened the game with Jumall Buchanan running 69-yards for the touchdown with only 11 seconds gone off the clock. The extra point kick by Brock Baldridge was good, and the Wadley Bulldogs jumped out to an early 7-0 lead with 11:41 left in the first quarter.
The Sweet Water Bulldogs got on the board late in the third when Walker Thompson ran it in from 2-yards out with 3:21 to go in the first quarter. Michael Alan Cole’s PAT kick was good, and the Sweet Water Bulldogs had tied the game at 7-7.
Sweet Water scored again on their next drive when Thompson completed a 44-yard touchdown pass to Jake Schroeder with 0:41 left in the first quarter. Cole’s extra point attempt was good, giving Sweet Water a 14-7 lead.
Jake Schroeder scores a touchdown for Sweet Water. Photo by Andrea Burroughs|Demopolis Times
Wadley’s next possession stalled, and they were forced to settle for a field goal kicked by Baldrige making the score 14-10 with 4:09 left in the first half.
On Sweet Water’s following drive, Thompson connected with Jaland Lewis Horton for a 56-yard touchdown pass with 1:18 left in the first half. Cole’s PAT kick was no good this time, leaving the score at 20-10.
Wadley would score one last time before the half when they took a kickoff back on an 88-yard run by Jacob Marable with 1:05 to go in the second quarter. The extra point kick by Baldridge failed, leaving the score at 20-16 at halftime.
The second half of the game was all Sweet Water Bulldogs as Wadley was unable to find the end zone. The first Sweet Water score of the second half came at the 9:43 mark when Christian Dunning ran it from 8-yards out. Cole’s extra point kick was good, upping the Sweet Water score to 27-16.
The last two scores of the game came in the fourth quarter by Horton and Dunning. Horton scored on a 1-yard run with 8:20 to go in the game. Cole kicked the PAT, making the score 34-16. Dunning scored the last touchdown of the game on a 35-yard run to the end zone with 2:45 left to go. The PAT kick by Cole was no good, making the final score of the game 40-16.
Christian Dunning scored the last touchdown of the game to secure the Sweet Water Victory. Photo by Andrea Burroughs|Demopolis Times
Running backs Christian Dunning and Jaland Lewis Horton rushed for more than 150 yards apiece, and quarterback Walker Thompson threw two long touchdown passes. Horton was also named MVP of the game.
Jaland Lewis Horton was named the MVP of the 1A Championship game. Photo by Andrea Burroughs|Demopolis Times
After the game, Sweet Water Coach Pat Thompson expressed his pride in how his team performed in the championship game and throughout the season.
“It means the world to me and my team means the world to me. I’m most proud of how the team got better each week,” said Thompson.
The victory caps an undefeated season for Sweet Water (14-0), which has now won seven state titles since 2006 and 11 in school history.