Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Mistakes costly for Wolves against Springdale

Prescott proved to be its own worst enemy against the Springdale Bulldogs.

After scoring the game's opening touchdown, the Wolves basically fell apart, shooting themselves in the foot with penalties which ended potential scoring drives.

The game began with Prescott winning the toss and electing to receive. A.J. Lewis fielded the kick, bobbled the ball and was brought down at the 14.

Prescott covered the 86 yards in five plays, with Lewis providing the bulk of the offense.

Lewis was dropped at the 10 on the first play, but made it to the 15 on a lateral from Ryan Roberson on second down. Roberson tossed the ball to Lewis, who winged it to Roger Muldrow on third down to keep the drive alive.

Muldrow fought his way to the 31 after the reception.

Roberson hit Lewis with a pass and a gain of two, before Lewis broke free on a 67-yard scamper for the touchdown. The point after split the uprights to give Prescott its only lead at 7-0 with 9:08 remaining in the first quarter.

From there, though, it was all Springdale. The Bulldogs started at their 25, ran four plays and tied the game.

The Dogs first string operated out of a no-huddle offense, which prevented the Wolf defense from getting either set or rested. Springdale's scoring drive took less than a minute as the Dogs tied the score on a five-yard run with 8:26 showing.

The following kick showed the Wolves at the 30 to begin drive number two, but a flag and illegal block call moved it to the 10.

The Wolves made it to the Prescott 48 before losing a fumble at the 46.

Springdale needed but two plays to take a 14-7 lead. First down was a completed pass to the Wolf five, with the Dog quarterback taking it in for the score with 6:14 left in the first.

The kick sailed into the endzone for a touchback, putting the ball on the Prescott 20.

The Wolves ran seven offensive plays, overcame a sack, but stopped themselves with an illegal motion call, forcing Prescott to punt.

The kick rolled dead at the Dog 38, with Springdale needing but three plays to score its third touchdown of the quarter.

With 1:01 remaining, Springdale led 21-0.

The kick again went into the endzone for a touchback, putting the Wolves 80 yards away from the promised land.

Roberson was sacked on first down. Prescott lined up in shotgun formation on the next play, but a high snap sent the ball into the endzone where Lewis got it out of bounds for a safety to make it 23-7.

The ensuing kick was returned for a touchdown, with the point after making it 30-7 with five ticks left on the clock in the first quarter.

Another touchback put Prescott on its 20, with the period ending with Lewis fumbling, but recovering on the 18.

The Wolves made it to the 20 before being forced to punt. The attempt was partially blocked, with the ball rolling dead at the Prescott 26.

A fade route on first down led to Springdale's next touchdown, making it 37-7.

Prescott showed the ability to move the ball against the Dogs, but couldn't overcome penalties, which were plentiful in the game. In fact, the Wolves were flagged 12 times for 95 yards, while the home team saw three calls for 30 yards.

Following a unsuccessful drive, the Wolves punted to Springdale's 21.

The Dogs gained to the 47 on first down, and got an additional 15 yards when Prescott was called for intentionally grabbing a facemask, putting the ball at the Wolf 38. Three plays later, Springdale scored its final touchdown of the night. The point after made it 44-7 with 4:54 left in the first half.

Starting at the 20 again, the Wolves marched to the Bulldog 44 before turning the ball over on downs.

Springdale's coach substituted heavily during the second quarter, and had his offense huddle to call plays. This gave Prescott's defense time to rest and get set.

However, when the second quarter ended, the Wolves trailed by more than 35 points, which meant the mercy rule was in effect.

The Dogs took the kick to start the third quarter, ran three plays and punted to the Prescott 10. A clipping call against the Wolves moved the ball back five yards.

Still, Prescott covered the 95 yards in seven plays, the score coming on a 10-yard run by Muldrow.

The point after was no good, making the score 44-13, where it ended.

Springdale started at its 32, making it to the Dog 48 before the third quarter ended.

The Dogs made it to Prescott's 13 before turning the ball over on downs with 2:54 left in the contest.

The Wolves refused to quit and fought for every yard possible, but were unable to score again before time ran out.

Statistically, Prescott was 11-16 in passing for 162 yards, while Springdale was 7-7 for 187 yards.

The Wolves rushed for 137 yards, while the Dogs had 182 yards on the ground.

Prescott gained 299 yards to 369 for Springdale.

In first downs, Prescott had 11 while Springdale had 12.

Most importantly, though, is the Wolves suffered no injuries in the game and returned to Prescott healthy for their date against the Hope Bobcats Friday, Sept. 17 at Cummins Field.

Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.