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SWHS sends Wadley packing in quarter-finals
Things got going early for the home standing Bulldogs when the defense held Wadley to three downs and out on their first possession bringing up a punting situation. The snap on the punt was bad forcing the punter to pull the ball down and run with it. He was stopped on the Wadley 28 setting the Sweet Water offense up with a short field to work with on their first possession. The Sweet Water offense quickly took advantage of the situation scoring in three plays on 25 yard pass from Drew Luker to Butch Williams. Scottie Nelson's extrapoint attempt missed the mark but Sweet Water led 6-0 with 8:10 to play in the first quarter. After Wadley had picked up a couple of first downs on their next series their offensive thrust came to a halt when Jul Gaines picked off a pass at the Sweet Water 3-yard line. From there the vaunted Sweet Water offense went back to work driving 97 yards in 11 plays to put their second touchdown on the scoreboard. It was another Luker aerial that produced the points and culminated the drive with him finding Scottie Nelson on a 50-yard bomb for the score. A two point conversion attempt failed but Sweet Water had increased the lead to 12-0 with :31 remaining in the first quarter. An interception by Luker on Wadley's first play of their next possession put the Sweet Water offense back on the field with a chance to add to their lead again. This time however the drive came up empty. Sweet Water did score again midway the second quarter on a six play 43 yard drive that Johnny Lockett ended when he darted in from 8-yards out. Nelson's extrapoint was good this time and Sweet Water led 19-0 with 6:25 left before halftime. In the second half the home standing Bulldogs opened things up with an eight play, 84 yard drive that ended in the end zone on an 11-yard scamper by Butch Williams. The extra-point attempt was no good but Sweet Water had extended their lead to 25-0 with 7:55 remaining in the third quarter. It would stay that way until early in the fourth quarter when Anthony Landrum blasted his way in from 4-yards out with 11:51 to play in the game. His touchdown run finished off a 12-play, 70 yard drive that began late in the third period. Nelson booted the extrapoint and the Sweet Water lead was 32-0. With Sweet Water substituting at this point, Wadley did manage to get on the scoreboard cashing in on a 75-yard touchdown pass. The extra-point was good cutting the Sweet Water lead to 32-7 with 3:15 remaining in the game. It didn't stay that way long however as the Sweet Water second unit proved it could stand muster when Cordaryl Curtis rambled in from 46-yards out with 2:17 left to play. Nelson added the extra-point making the final 39-7. "I was very proud of our effort and discipline against Wadley," Sweet Water Coach Stacy Luker said. "I thought we played great on defense and controlled the line off scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Our offense played much more disciplined this week and cut down on the turnovers and penalties which is the sign of a mature team." The Sweet Water offense, which often relies primarily on its running game, was more balanced against Wadley picking up 339 yards of its 466 total yards on the ground and 127 yards in the air. Leading the ground attack for Sweet Water was Anthony Landrum with 108 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries followed by Butch Williams with 63 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries. In the air Drew Luker was 7 of 14 for 127 yards and two touchdowns. Leaders on the receiving end of Luker's passes were: Butch Williams with two catches for 33 yards and one touchdown; Anthony Landrum with two catches for 20 yards and Scottie Nelson with one catch for 50 yards and one touchdown. Over on defense Sweet Water was led by Delano Brewer with 11 tackles followed by Devin Wolf with nine stops. Tyrice Lockett was next with eight tackles while Drew Luker had six. Jul Gaines and Drew Luker each contributed an interception to the cause and Wolf picked up a sack. With the win Sweet Water moved to 12-0 on the season and will advance to the semi-final round of the state playoffs where they will be playing the 12-0 Maplesville Red Devils who defeated Linden 34-14 in their quarterfinal game. The Bulldogs and Red Devils are quite familiar with each other having played against each other numerous times over the years. This year's Red Devil team will enter this game with the Bulldogs with an axe to grind having suffered their only two defeats over the last two years at the hands of the Bulldogs in the playoffs. "The Maplesville Red Devils are the real deal," Sweet Water Coach Stacy Luker said. "They have a very good football team that is experienced and well coached. They have a lot of good athletes with a lot of speed and their offense is high octane, averaging 46 points a game coming into this week. On defense they are very quick and physical as well. It's going to be a great game Friday and we are just happy to still be playing this time of the year so we can be a part of it."
The game between the Sweet Water Bulldogs and the Maplesville Red Devils is scheduled for Friday at Nolan Atkins Stadium in Sweet Water with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
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