Bulldoggs unable to complete comeback in 27-14 loss to Loganville

“Everybody, me included, will evaluate [the team] on how they fought back in the second half,” head coach Ed Dudley said of his halftime message to the team. “We had a lot of mistakes and goof-ups in the first half that had us behind the A-ball.” 

“I told them, ‘We don’t have to win, but we do have to compete.’”

“I felt like they did that. They fought back. We didn’t win the game, but I feel good about our team moving forward.” 

The comeback started on the defensive end for the Bulldoggs when senior linebacker Ryan Ford intercepted a bad pass by Loganville’s quarterback, swinging the momentum in Winder-Barrow’s favor early on in the second half. 

Soon after, senior running back Aidan Thompson capitalized on the moment.

On a draw up the middle, a huge gap in the defense opened, and he ran it all the way to the end zone for a 48-yard touchdown run, which put the Bulldoggs in a two-possession game with the Red Devils, with plenty of time remaining.

“Ford’s interception was the critical piece,” Dudley said, “that sparked up the team.” 

According to Dudley, as any head coach would want from their veteran players, the seniors showed in those moments, igniting the comeback. 

“You can talk about senior leadership, but those two guys on that drive actually went out there and made two plays that helped get us back in the game,” he said. 

After giving up a field goal in the fourth quarter and assuming a 20-7 deficit, Thompson made his presence known once again. With Loganville deep into its own territory, Thompson seized the moment, tackling the Red Devils’ running back to force a fumble and setting up the Bulldoggs in the red zone to potentially make it a one-possession game for the first time since the second quarter. 

They did just that.

Senior quarterback Conyer Smith connected with Thompson on a wheel route for a 17-yard touchdown to make it a 20-14 game late in the fourth. 

“I think it was a really good call by our offensive coordinator Richard Gillespie,” Dudley said.

“Down six, I’m thinking, ‘we definitely have a chance.’ They stepped up to the things I said at the half to challenge them.” 

Yet, it wasn’t enough.

The Red Devils scored a rushing touchdown immediately afterwards to salt the game away. 

Turnovers turned out to be the nail in the coffin for the Bulldoggs, as they gave the ball back to the Red Devils three times – two fumbles and an interception.

Those key plays stifled Winder-Barrow’s offense, holding them to only 14 points in a game where a couple of scores would've made a big difference. 

Still, Thompson returned to his leadership role for the Bulldoggs, rushing for 71 yards and a score – in addition to his late receiving touchdown to give Winder-Barrow a chance. 

Senior Tyreeck Hall may have taken a step back from previous weeks, but was still influential offensively as he ran for 68 yards on 13 carries and had two catches for 70 yards, including a huge 60-yard reception. 

“We told them that, once we got them healthy, we wanted to have that thunder and lightning attack,” Dudley said. “The big back and the small, speedy back.”

However, Dudley believes the key to unlocking the team’s true offensive potential comes from Smith complementing them with his passing. 

“Conyer Smith in the second half was really on point and did a good job for us,” he said. “So, that’s what we have – that mix of run and pass, the balance – if we’re going to make a push in the second half of the season.” 

Now, Winder-Barrow looks to build upon the positives and obtain its first region win in two weeks.

With week six a bye week for Winder-Barrow, the team will use the week off to practice and prepare for its matchup against Jefferson Dragons Friday, Sept. 30. 

“You hear coaches say all the time, ‘there are no moral victories in football,’ but there absolutely are in high school football,” Dudley said, “there’s growth, change and improvement.”

“It was a tough opponent, and we had some growing up to do. Now, we have a little more growing up to do before we win that type of game.”