Bulldogs Scalp Seminoles

10/30/08
By Clint Cox

MARIANNA – The Marianna Bulldogs got another stellar performance from running back Bradley Battles and upset the Seminoles of Florida High 26-19 last Friday night at Bulldog Stadium. The Seminoles had entered the contest with a 7-0 record and ranked #4 in the state. But they had no answer for Battles who rushed for 277 yards and four touchdowns. In fact Battles accounted for all 26 points scored by the Bulldogs.
On a night in which the rain and wind blew most of the evening, the Bulldogs struck first. After a 9 play drive to open the game Battles scored on a 5 yard run. The Seminoles countered with a long 11 play drive of their own and scored to tie the game at 6-6. On Marianna’s next drive Battles bolted 62 yards for a scoring run to make it a 12-6 game in the closing moments of the first quarter. After a scoreless second quarter the Bulldogs kept their 6 point lead at the half.
Florida High marched down the field on their opening drive of the second half and after 12 plays scored on a 4 yard run. After their extra point kick they took their only lead of the game at 13-12. Battles didn’t let them keep the lead long as he sprinted 75 yards for his third TD of the night. He then added a two point conversion run to make it 20-13 in favor of the Bulldogs. Once again the Seminoles fought back and scored on a 26 yard run. Their extra point kick however was blocked by Emmanuel Batson, his second blocked extra point of the night, leaving the Seminoles trailing 20-19. Battles rose to the challenge again. The Seminoles thought they had Battles knocked down in the backfield but somehow, someway, Battles kept his balance. As most of the Seminoles assumed he was going down, they pulled up. Battles made them pay by breaking away and racing 75 yards down the sidelines for a touchdown to give Marianna a 26-19 lead. The Bulldog defense then came up with several big plays in the closing moments, including a fumble recovery by Troy Clemmons, to preserve the lead and seal the victory.
Marianna improved to 6-1 and Head Coach Rob Armstrong said it was one of the biggest regular season wins in his career. "This ranks awful high on the best wins during the regular season. We wanted to keep it close and give ourselves a chance to win late in the game. Our defense played great and Battles just got stronger as the game went on," said Armstrong. The Bulldog defense was led by Laramie Dryden with 17 tackles. Clemmons followed with 17 tackles while Xavier Peterson racked up 13 tackles. Michael Holloway and Dalton Bennett each recorded 10 tackles.