Zizzers chain Bulldogs
Wed, 10/30/2024 - 1:52pm
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WP has home field advantage for District play
By:
Sue Fiorino, contributing writer
In the most important game of the season thus far, the West Plains varsity football team came from behind to defeat Carl Junction, 34-27.
The Zizzers had a slow start in the first quarter after Carl Junction took the opening kickoff return 70 yards down field and immediately scored on the next play. Offensively, the Zizzers could not find a rhythm and on their first possession gave up a quarterback sack and on the next had a punt blocked.
When the Bulldogs easily kicked a field goal with 5:15 on the clock in the first quarter and the Zizzers trailed 0-10, it looked as if the West Plains crowd might be in for a long night.
But the Zizzers stayed calm and took control of the line of scrimmage. On the next series of downs, running back Remington Wilson broke open a huge 60-yard run that set up a little four-yard touchdown run by Jackson Taylor.
The Zizzers scored two more unanswered touchdowns to lead 20-10. But Carl Junction snagged an interception with 36 seconds to go before halftime. The Bulldogs turned that into seven points. On the following kickoff the Bulldogs recovered a Zizzer fumble and with five seconds to go, sent out a kicker for a 38-yard field goal. Just like that, the score was tied 20-20 at halftime.
But it was all Zizzers after the half. The Zizzers took care of the football and controlled the clock in the third quarter, running 21 plays compared to just 8 for the Bulldogs. Running back Jackson Taylor scored twice in the second half on a ten-yard run in the third quarter and again with a 27-yard run in the fourth.
The Bulldogs scored late in the fourth quarter to bring them closer but it was too little too late. Zizzers won 34-27.
“Huge. It’s just a huge advantage,” said Zizzer Coach Joel Wyatt about winning the top seed in the District. The top seed provides a bye week to rest and regroup along with home field advantage for the tournament.
The Zizzers advance to a 6-3 record and will play again on November 8 and will take on the winner of the Logan-Rogersville versus Marshfield game that will be played next Friday. West Plains has already defeated both of those teams earlier this season.