Bulldoggs crush Patriots 51-0 in key region win

“It’s going to be a long night for them,” Hall said on the sideline shortly afterwards.

Indeed it was, as junior AJ Johnson put the Bulldoggs in a position for two more scores with two blocked punts midway through the first quarter. The first led to a field goal by sophomore Matthew Greiner, while the second was a scoop-and-score by Johnson to put Winder-Barrow up 17-0, just six minutes into the first quarter.

The explosion of offense had only just begun. Seniors Hall and Aidan Thompson scored a pair of rushing touchdowns in the second quarter to increase the lead to 31-0. Thompson’s 9-yard score was first, then just a couple snaps later, he recovered a forced fumble by senior Ryan Ford.

Soon after, Hall did what he does best - break away from the defense for an explosive play. This time, Hall’s signature move was in the form of an 80-yard score.

“Tyreeck has good speed,” defensive coordinator Scott Rider said. “So if we can get him a crease in getting through the first line, he's hard to bring down and hard to catch. He had a lot of big explosive plays for us. We needed that offensively.”

Winder-Barrow continued to pour it on, as Johnson scored again to close the half on another scoop-and-score to take the Bulldoggs into the break with a 38-0 lead.

It was a total team effort in the run game for the Bulldoggs, amassing 308 total yards on the ground. Hall ended the game with 152 yards on the ground in the blowout win over the Patriots, while Thompson added 47 yards and two scores as well. Other players with significant yardage against the Patriots were freshman Demetrius Dowdy with 46, junior Anthony Forney with 42 and junior Donovan Griggs with 21, which was coupled with his second score of the season.

Not only did the Bulldoggs shut out the Patriots, but it also seemed the Patriots couldn’t salvage any offense or pass midfield against the stout Bulldogg defense, as five of their first-half possessions resulted in a three-and-out.

In its tough playoff race, Winder-Barrow sent a message to the rest of the region as the season starts to close.

“We just try to get our guys to understand that, if everybody does their job and everybody works together, then good things will happen,” Rider said. “We'd like to bring a lot of pressure, and we brought pressure from a lot of different places today.”

Winder-Barrow looks to continue its momentum as they fight for one of the top-four seeds in the region to get into the postseason. Currently, the team is tied with Eastside for the fourth spot.

Region 8-5A Standings (region record listed first)

1. Jefferson (4-0, 6-2)

2. Loganville (4-1, 8-1)

3. Clarke Central (3-2, 4-5)

T-4. Eastside (2-2, 5-3)

T-4. Winder-Barrow (2-2, 5-3)

T-6. Flowery Branch (0-4, 2-6)

T-6. Heritage (0-4, 2-6)

Winder-Barrow will travel to Covington Friday to battle Eastside for sole possession of the fourth seed. A win there will virtually guarantee the Bulldoggs a spot in the playoffs, regardless of their performance in the season finale against Clarke Central.