Cats & Dogs Ousted From Playoffs

Bulldog Bradley Battles (middle) found the going rough last Friday night in Madison as he is sandwiched between two Cowboys. Photo by Mike Miller

By Clint Cox

The two Jackson County teams that made it to round one of the FHSAA playoffs both fell behind early and while one squad rallied to tie the game, both squads lost and thus were eliminated from post season play.

The Graceville Tigers traveled to Jacksonville to take on the Warriors of Eagles View. This is the same squad that Graceville beat last year in the first round with a 58-42 shootout victory. This year’s game saw Graceville with a scoring opportunity early on but were stopped on 4th down and goal play. From there the Warriors went on to post two touchdowns and take a 16-0 lead. The Tigers rallied in the second half as Antrelll Wright found the end zone and Treyshaun White added a two point conversion run to make it a 16-8 game. In the final quarter Justin Miles scored and then added a two point run to tie the game at 16-16. The score remained tied at the end of regulation and the Warriors scored on their possession with a touchdown pass. Graceville was unable to pick up a first down or find the end zone on their possession and the Warriors claimed a 22-16 overtime win. Graceville finished the season with a record of 8-3.

The Marianna Bulldogs also had to travel as they journey to Madison County and the Stadium known as Boot Hill. The Cowboys entered the game ranked #1 in the state and several polls have them listed in the top 20 teams nationwide. They had won 22 straight games and were averaging 52 points per game. They took an early 7-0 lead but the Bulldogs came up with a defense stop late in the first quarter to gain a little momentum. But on Marianna’s first play after the defense stand the Bulldogs coughed up the ball and Madison recovered. One play later they had a touchdown and a 14-0 lead. They made it 21-0 at the half and went on to a 35-0 win. The Cowboys held Marianna’s Bradley Battles to 81 yards and 25 yards of that came on one run late in the game. Marianna finished the season with a record of 8-3.

Bulldog Head Coach Rob Armstrong said the loss should not take away from the overall season. "I’m proud of the way the kids played all year. Madison is a great team and they shut us down and we just could not move the ball. But we’ve still had a great season and this is a fine group of young men. We lose 7 really good seniors that leave this program in good shape and with a bright future," said Armstrong.