Houston County sealed the middle and the Bradwell Tigers couldn’t put the brakes on the Bears senior fullback Robert Williams.
He led the Bears offense with 229 yards and two touchdowns in their 33-14 win over the Tigers on Olvey Field Friday night.
Tiger head coach Jim Walsh Jr. said he knew the Bears were a good team and were going to come into town and try to maul his squad. He conceded they did, but attributed the loss more to the mistakes made by his young line than the Bears’ running game.
"We were swapping out sophomores for sophomores," Walsh said about the O-line/D-line. "And our front guys are not pulling the trigger like we need them to."
Houston was quick to get on the scoreboard with a quarterback keeper by Tyler Hall. The Bears attempted a fake kick on the extra point, instead trying for a 2-point conversion. But the Tigers defended the pass.
Try as they could, neither Tiger quarterback Wilson Brown nor fullback Sheldon Barnes were able to forge enough yards in the first half to mount a consistent drive.
For the Bears, Williams would carry the ball into the end zone twice to close the half with Houston leading 19-0.A different Tiger offense showed up for the second half. For the first time this season the Tigers opened their triple package offense with Brown lining up in the shotgun and the passing game flourished.
Brown connected twice to Stanley White, one earning the sophomore his first touchdown reception as a varsity Tiger. Brown also found Tony Britton to go deep into Bears territory in the fourth. Brown ran in a touchdown and David Miller was 2 for 2 on the extra points.
The Tigers were driving downfield again, but Barnes was hit and coughed up the ball. The Bears recovered and just as quickly the wind was blown from the Tigers’ sails.
Bears quarterback Tyler Hall scored two more touchdowns to extend their lead.
The Tigers offensive reversal showed up in the final statistics; 99 yards on the ground but 111 yards passing.
"We are young… They are going to be good football players, but right now they are thinking entirely too much," the coach said after the game. "When you have an offensive line that is thinking you are in deep trouble. And we were in deep trouble tonight."
Walsh told his squad the final score was unacceptable, especially since the Tigers next opponents are all in their region. The good news is the Tigers have a bye week before their away game at Groves on Sept. 25.