HOLLY POND, Ala. — The Susan Moore Bulldogs traveled to Holly Pond to face the Broncos Friday night and the weather was perfect for high school football. The game was a close one all the way into fourth quarter, but the Broncos couldn’t keep pace with Bulldogs and Susan Moore left with a 26-18 win.
Susan Moore received the opening kickoff. The Bulldogs’ strong running game drove the football to the Bronco 31, but Holly Pond defenders Damian Raymond and Diego Arreguin kept the Bulldogs in check with several open field tackles during the drive before Susan Moore turned the ball over on downs.
Holly Pond’s first drive saw Andy Light taking snaps under center and Light took the Broncos 69 yards down the field for the opening score of the game. Light had five carries on the drive, capping things off with a 3-yard run for the Broncos’ first score and Holly Pond led the way 7-0 with 3:59 left in the first quarter.
The Susan Moore Bulldogs got hot after that and took over the rest of the half, running off 19 unanswered points. Doty plunged in from the one for one score and passed for two more, one to Ramon Maldonado and one to Isaac Brothers.
As the half came to a close, Holly Pond faced a fourth down from the Bulldogs’ 29 with seven seconds left. The pass into the end zone fell incomplete as time expired but a roughing the passer penalty gave the Broncos one more shot. From the 19-yard line, Landon Perkins kicked it through the uprights and cut the lead to 19-10 at the half.
Susan Moore padded its lead in the third with a 61-yard scoring drive. Cameron Gilliland scored the Bulldogs’ final touchdown of the night on that drive with a 12-yard run.
The Broncos put together a solid drive in the fourth behind a strong running game that featured Landon Perkins, Kadin Suryono, Andy Light and Isaac Chambers. Starting on their own 17, they drove the length of the field to score and with 6:47 left in the game Susan Moore led 26-18.
Holly Pond was only down 8 when their onside kick attempt went out of bounds, but the defense stepped up and forced Susan Moore to turn the ball over on downs.
It looked like Holly Pond was about to send the game into overtime as Light and Perkins ran through the Bulldog defense. The Broncos made it to the Bulldog’s 39-yard line before Logan Blackwell picked off a Holly Pond pass at the 12 with 1:47 to go in the game and Susan Moore went on to win it 26-18.
The Broncos drop to 3-5 with the loss and will be on the road next week to face the Vinemont Eagles.
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