VINEMONT– It was homecoming night at Mark Smothers stadium as the Vinemont Eagles welcomed the Addison Bulldogs. The crowd showed up in full force for a barn burner, and that’s just what it got. The Eagles were victorious, 28-22.
Vinemont got the ball to start the game; the offense had no problem getting things clicking. On the very first play from scrimmage, Dustin Moore found a hole for a 54-yard gain. It didn’t take long for the Eagle offense to find the end zone; a 2-yard run by Oistin Cornelius with 9:07 remaining in the opening quarter gave the Eagles an early 7-0 lead.
Addison came out trying to establish a running game. The Bulldogs were picking up good yardage per play until Dustin Moore picked up a loose ball and returned it into Addison territory. Out came the fired-up Eagle offense; three plays later they found the end zone again, this time on a 41-yard run by Moore to put the Eagles up 14-0 with 4:21 remaining in the opening quarter.
Both defenses settled in forcing punts until midway through the second quarter when Addison struck on a 67-yard run by Zayne Guthrie, cutting the lead to 14-8 with 5:17 remaining in the half. After failing to convert on fourth down, the Eagles had to surrender possession to the Bulldogs with less than three minutes until halftime. The Bulldogs looked to take a halftime lead as they moved the ball inside the 5-yard line, but the Eagle defense rose to the occasion, stopping the Bulldog offense on fourth-and-goal with four seconds on the clock to send the Eagles to the locker room with a halftime lead.
Addison game out clicking on all cylinders in the second half, getting the ball and driving 59 yards, taking almost five minutes off the clock, capped off by a 21-yard score by Guthrie which gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the game at 16-14 with 7:42 remaining in the third.
The remainder of the third quarter was dominated by the defenses. Addison overcame several costly penalties to find a way to stretch the lead out when Grant Rice found Logan Wilkins in the corner of the end zone from 11 yards out with 8:23 remaining in the game; a failed 2-point conversion kept the Bulldog lead at eight.
Vinemont converted on many huge third downs, but ended up facing a giant fourth down where Jack Hill found Dustin Moore for a 20-yard touchdown which cut the lead by 6, forcing the Eagles to go for two. The same combination hooked up again on the 2-point conversion, tying the game at 22 with 3:33 left to go.
The Bulldogs got the ball in excellent field position, marching down the field as they reached the red zone, where they were looking for the go-ahead score, but a costly false-start penalty put the Bulldogs in a third-and-15, then the Eagles’ Moore intercepted the football and returned it all the way to the 10-yard line with seven seconds left in the game.
With time for just one final play, quarterback Hill, rolling out only to find no one open, cut up field, crossing the goal line as time expired.
Final score: Vinemont 28, Addison 22
It was the first homecoming game as head coach for Stephen Robinson at his alma mater, but he didn’t take any credit for the win. “That’s all we work on effort and attitude and I couldn’t be prouder of our guys; that’s one thing I want our team to be remembered by is that we never quit.”
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