By Staff
Joe Holmes, Enquirer Correspondent
LESTER — It may not go down as an “official” win, but Friday night’s 30-20 jamboree victory by Priceville over West Limestone was just the boost the Bulldogs needed going into the regular season’s first contest against nemesis Brewer.
With a 30-8 second-half lead in hand, Weeks turned to his second-string to finish off the Wildcats.
After trading four-and-out offensive efforts with the Wildcats to begin the game, Priceville put together a solid drive starting at its own 26-yard-line. A 30-yard pick-up by Lance Hughes and subsequent 10-yard rambles by Eli Allen, quarterback Will Stevens and Trevor Maxwell gave the Bulldogs a first-and-goal opportunity at the West Limestone 9.
The Wildcats stiffened and denied the Bulldog score, taking over at the 1.
However, on the next snap the Bulldog defensive frontline pushed Wildcat quarterback Wesley Hughes into the end zone for a safety and a 2-0 lead with 11:40 left in the second quarter.
Riding the momentum, Priceville took the free kick and promptly marched 58 yards in four plays to score on Maxwell’s 25-yard scamper with 9:57 left in the quarter. Hughes kicked the extra point to run the Bulldogs’ advantage to 9-0.
The Wildcats responded with a 73-yard touchdown sprint by Tommy Reyer after a pass from Hughes. The duo hooked up for the two-point conversion and pulled the home team to within one point at 9-8.
Priceville went to work at its own 30 following the kickoff. Stevens found Allen on a 27-yard pass to set up a 20-yard ramble by Aaron Sawyer. On first-and-goal from the 6, Allen scooted in for six with 5:30 left in the half. Hughes was again perfect on the PAT and the Bulldogs led 16-8.
With the half drawing to a close and the Wildcats stuck deep in their own territory, Priceville looked content to take the eight-point lead into the locker room. But defensive lineman Chase Martin had other plans.
After shooting through the Wildcat offensive line, Martin wrapped up Hughes for an apparent sack. But when the dust cleared, Martin had stripped the ball from Hughes and was trucking 25 yards to the Wildcat end zone for six. Hughes added the PAT and the Bulldogs found themselves up 23-8 with just 24 seconds left before the break.
Priceville received the opening kickoff to begin the second half and capitalized on a 55-yard Maxwell run that came up just six inches short of the goal line. Stevens punched it in for the score and Hughes’ PAT pushed the Priceville lead to a commanding 30-8.
Weeks turned to his second-team offense and defensive squads to finish out the game. The second-string offense moved the ball well on its first drive behind the running of Kody Etheridge and Derek Smith. Turning in big defensive plays for the second-string defense were Jake Miller with a batted-down pass and Austin Long with a quarterback sack.
The Wildcats picked up two final scores on a 52-yard touchdown pass from Hughes to Reyer and a 25-yard strike from Hughes to Chase Hill.