STRONG - Woodlawn scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter as the Bears overcame an eight-point deficit early in the third quarter to hand the defending state champion Strong Bulldogs their first on-field loss, 58-34, since 2022.Woodlawn improved to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in South Conference play with the league-opening victory while Strong fell to 1-1 overall and in conference action.While there were some forfeits during that stretch, the Bulldogs last on-field loss was a 26-0 setback at Rector in the state semifinals on Nov. 11, 2022.Strong junior quarterback Cole Fife lived up to his billing as he had a couple of long touchdown runs while racking up 126 yards on the ground to go with 126 yards passing and two scores through the air.Woodlawn countered with its dynamic rushing duo of junior quarterback Ethan Saeler and sophomore running back Griffin Manes, who combined for 366 yards. Manes went for 184 yards on 22 carries with two touchdowns while Saeler had 182 on 24 rushes with four TDs. Saeler also had a nine-yard touchdown pass to tight end Matthew Green.While it played out much like a heavyweight fight through the first three quarters, it was evident by the fourth period that the Bears had a little more left in the tank than the Bulldogs. Woodlawn Coach Doug Means said that was really the difference in the game. “You’ve got two teams with the numbers we have: 14 (for Strong), 15 (for Woodlawn)... When you’re battling this hard, you’re going to have cramps, you’re going to be tired,” he said. “I told them halfway through the third quarter that the team that doesn’t cramp as much or outlasts the other team is going to win. And that’s what happened. They got tired, and we didn’t. It was conditioning, really.”While Strong lost several of its playmakers from last year’s state championship team to graduation, the ‘Dogs still had some explosive players capable of taking it the distan...
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