Second half surge propels Dogs past Tigers

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In a game that featured two 2-0 teams, Iota turned a 21-21 halftime tie into a runaway win, 42-21, thanks to a staunch defense led by the pass rushing of Tayte Langley (2 sacks) and a motivated group of run defenders.
In the first half it was a different story as the scoring went back and forth. If it weren’t for the kick returner Tyrone Charlot, who had an 81-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to go with a 41-yard effort, and a key fourth down stop at their goal line, the Tigers may have taken command.
“We were making mistakes on defense in the first half but we made the necessary corrections at halftime and came out playing the way we’re supposed to in the second half,” said Iota Coach Josh Andrus, who was obviously happy with the win.
Following a fourth down stop the Bulldogs and Charlot’s 41 yarder, the Bulldogs took over in Lake Arthur territory. They rode the legs of their physical running back Luke Doucet to the three yard line where he pounded the ball into the end zone giving the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead.
After taking over following a Trae Rambin interception the Tigers quickly let Iota know that this would not be a repeat of their blowout loss from last year.
Lake Arthur coach Mark Deshotel smartly substituted his combination of talented running backs Jayron McZeal and brothers Terrelle and Torall Levias to drive the ball down the field. McZeal found a hole on the left side of the Bulldog defensive line to rush the ball in for a two-yard score. The Tiger kicker missed the PAT to make the score 7-6.
On the ensuing kickoff, Charlot burst through the initial wave of Tiger defenders and his speed took care of the rest as he made the score 14-6 Bulldogs, who looked as though they may be on the verge of a blowout win. However, Lake Arthur’s Deuce Duhon, who also had a solid passing performance in the first half, drove the ball down the field and took the ball in from three yards out. The two-point conversion was good to pull the Tigers to a 14-14 tie.
After stopping the Bulldogs next drive the Tigers appeared ready to take the lead as they drove the ball down the Iota two-yard line. However, the Bulldogs stopped the Tiger rushing attack on four consecutive plays including a play against Terrelle Levias on fourth and goal from the two yard line to take over on downs.
Some big rushing plays by Doucet and speedster Kollin Guillory (nine rushes for 99 yards) brought the Bulldogs to the Tiger 12-yard line, Rambin found receiver/cornerback Mitchell Lege in the end zone for a touchdown which gave the Bulldogs a 21-14 lead.
While momentum definitely seemed to be swinging in the Bulldogs favor, Duhon quickly responded by throwing a beautiful touchdown pass to Tavoris Etienne to tie the game up for halftime.
As the Bulldog defense began their second half shutdown of the Tigers, it was a miscue by the Lake Arthur center that gave the Bulldogs control of the game. On fourth down he snapped the ball over his head of his punter who rushed back to pick up the ball in the end zone and try to minimize the damage. Unfortunately for him, Iota defenders Mitchell Lege and Dylan Montgomery were too quick and stopped him for a safety giving the Bulldogs a 23-21 lead and possession of the ball after a free kick.
Following two frustrating holding calls against the Bulldogs, they were on the verge of having to punt when Rambin escaped the Tiger rush on a third and 18 and threw a beautiful 35-yard touchdown pass to Chaynery Johnson to give the Bulldogs a 29-21 lead following the first missed extra point of the season by Iota kicker Luis Doreteo.
They never looked back.
Touchdown runs by Rambin (19 yards) and Guillory (two yards) completed the scoring for the Bulldogs.
A fired up Andrus called the game a “team win” and finished his team’s post-game meeting with a “How bout those Bulldogs?” shout that could be heard throughout the stadium.
The victory moved Iota to 3-0 for the second consecutive season. Andrus has completely turned around the atmosphere surrounding the Bulldog program as Iota fans filled the visitors stands and were lined along the stadium’s fence. Since the beginning of the 2017 season, the Bulldogs are 12-3 after seven straight losing seasons.
Iota next plays their first District 5-3A game against Northwest High Friday at 7 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium.