DECATUR – Cullman came out with intensity on the team’s first few defensive drives Friday night; however, Decatur’s LaDarius Woods could not be stopped as he led the Red Raiders to a resounding 35-10 win in the first round of the playoffs.
Tristan Skinner was the first to net points as he struck with a 47-yard field goal with just minutes left in the first quarter. The Bearcats kept the intensity rolling, quickly shutting down Decatur’s offense and taking a 3-0 lead at the end of the quarter.
As play got underway in the second, Cullman was able to move the ball with quick passes from Fletcher Jennings to receivers Dawson Drake, Caden Winn and Ross Crocker. But the Bearcats’ quick play caught up to the them as Decatur forced Jayden Sullins to fumble the ball as he tried to gain extra yards after being hit, resulting in a turnover for the Red Raiders.
Decatur took seven plays, including a fourth-and-4, to go 32 yards to take the lead on a Woods 5-yard TD run, 7-0 in the second quarter. The Red Raiders never looked back as the team forced the Bearcats to punt on their next possession after six plays. Decatur then proceeded to march down the field, following Woods’ leadership, as he scored his second touchdown of the night on a 13-yard run with 1:05 left in the half.
Cullman attempted to climb the mountain in the second half, as the team has done multiple times this season, including a 22-point comeback over Pell City, but the Red Raiders proved to be too strong, only allowing one additional score by Dawson Drake to bring the game to the closest margin since Skinner’s field goal at 14-10.
This was not enough to stop Jennings and Winn as the two connected for a deep touchdown, but the play was called back on a penalty against Cullman. The Bearcats couldn’t recover and a plethora of penalties plagued Cullman until the final whistle, with Decatur coming out on top 35-10.
Decatur Red Raider Woods ended his evening with a 42-yard TD run with just more than six minutes left in the game, giving him more than 2,000 rushing yards for the season.
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