WOODLAWN - Strong used its speed and athleticism to jump out to an early lead but the more seasoned Woodlawn Bears quickly regained control to pull away for a 50-20 win over the young but talented Bulldogs.
It was the eight-man South Conference opener for Woodlawn, which improved to 1-0 in league play and 3-0 overall with the victory. Strong fell to 1-1 in conference action and 1-2 overall. The Bears were also leading Brinkley 20-12 at the half before the game was called for weather. Since no plays were run in the second half, the game does not go down as an official victory.
While Strong may have lost most of its playmakers from last year’s state championship team, the Bulldogs are not without talent under Head Coach Jason Porter. Several sophomores from last year’s successful junior high team have brought their speed and athleticism to the varsity level.
Woodlawn got a glimpse of that young talent on the first series of the game as the ‘Dogs took the opening kickoff and drove 57 yards in seven plays behind elusive sophomore quarterback Kaiden McHenry. On his first snap, McHenry broke for 28 yards before completing his first three pass attempts: the first for 12 yards, the second for 11 and the final for a 10-yard score with 9:09 left in the first. McHenry ran in the two-point conversion to put Strong up 8-0 before a near capacity crowd at the Carl Jones Sports Complex.
Woodlawn answered with a 57-yard drive of its own, ending on a two-yard burst by Caleb Martin on the ninth play of the possession. Caleb Martin added the conversion run as well draw the Bears even, 8-8, with 5:16 left in the opening period.
“We weathered the storm there and came back and fought, and got the ground game going like I thought we could,” Bears Coach Zach Meyer said afterwards. “I was proud of them.”
After the ‘Dogs failed to convert on fourth-and-5 at the Woodlawn 33, the Bears took their first le...
To access content, please login or purchase a subscription.