The Corrigan-Camden Bulldogs fell 49-20 against the Centerville Tigers in the regular-season finale on Friday.
In the last district battle before the playoffs, the host Bulldogs got hit in the mouth early and still managed to make it interesting versus the defending district champions.
“We were breaking some big plays when we needed, but were using four downs a lot,” said Bulldog head coach Brett Ratliff. “I had a plan to score late in the half, then score again to make it a one-score game. So, we were still right there in the third.”
Centerville’s power rush attack wore down the Bulldog defense throughout the night, hitting the gaps hard and breaking initial tackles.
“Defensively, I do not think we misaligned horribly. They just caught the seams when they needed to. Against a great football team like that, (big plays) are going to happen,” Ratliff said. “Hats off to Coach (Kyle) Hardee. That team is a machine every year, and I look forward to seeing them again.”
Corrigan will finish the season 3-2 in the third-place district spot and is set to play in the first playoff round next week.
Tiger sophomore running back Amarius Phillips threw the first blow on the opening kickoff return, sprinting the whole way for his first touchdown of the night.
Bulldog junior tailback Mason Murphy responded with a huge kickoff return himself, breaking into Centerville territory. However, the Bulldog offense would not get far, quickly turning the ball over on a fourth down to set up the Tigers. On that possession, Tiger senior Colton Pearson broke away for a 52-yard rushing touchdown to extend Centerville’s lead 14-0 still early in the opening period.
Late in the first, Tiger senior running back Trae Phillips would power through the middle for a 22-yard rushing touchdown to make it a three-score game.
Corrigan’s offense started to move the sticks and reached the red zone early in the second quarter. Bulldog sophomore running back Derrick Reagie would fight on a hard carry to get inside the 10-yard line. Shortly after, Reagie found the crease to jog into the end zone for a six-yard touchdown to finally put Corrigan on the board with seven points.
Centerville’s offense took their time moving the sticks and controlling the clock on their next possession. Trae Phillips would rush along the sideline for an 18-yard touchdown, extending the Tiger lead to 28-7 late in the half.
The Bulldog offense quickly marched into the red zone in the final moments of the half, also converting on crucial downs. On a third-and-goal, Bulldog senior quarterback Michael Sullivan connected on a short touchdown pass to sophomore William Ratliff in the final seconds. This cut the lead 28-14 at halftime.
To start the third quarter, Corrigan put together a long scoring drive, which included a defensive facemask penalty to help keep the possession alive. Near the goal line, Ratliff took a quarterback keeper for a two-yard touchdown, further cutting the lead to 28-20 after the missed two-point attempt.
Centerville immediately responded with Phillips breaking tackles on the first play from scrimmage for a 53-yard touchdown run, stretching the Tiger lead to 35-20.
The Bulldogs’ offensive momentum stopped with a costly fumble later in the third, which set up Centerville with another short field. Pearson ended that scoring drive with a short touchdown run to make it a 42-20 Centerville lead.
Inside the closing minutes, Phillips would catch a short touchdown pass from senior quarterback Maxwell Smith for the final score of the night.
As of press time, the Bulldogs are reportedly set to play either the Garrison Bulldogs Thursday in Palestine or the Shelbyville Dragons Thursday in Nacogdoches.
Details on Corrigan’s playoff match next week will be in Thursday’s edition of the Enterprise or online at easttexasnews.com.
