By Lee Trawick Riverbend News
On Friday, Oct. 15, the Suwannee High School Bulldogs varsity football team played host to the Paxon Eagles at Paul Langford Stadium. It was the conclusion of a week-long high school homecoming celebration, at which time the announcement of the 2021 Homecoming King and Queen was made during halftime festivities. The Bulldogs played in front of a packed stadium and were looking for their third win of the season.
The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard early and often, as the Bulldogs' defense proved to be too much for the Eagles, causing them to surrender a safety in their first possession. Three minutes later, the Bulldogs capitalized on a bad snap when Terrell Atkinson picked up the loose ball and turned a bad play into a 14-yard touchdown run, giving the Bulldogs a 9-0 lead, after Braxtyn Green added the extra point.
In the second quarter, the Eagles answered with a touchdown of their own to bring them within three points after trying for a two-point conversion. But, that's as close as the Eagles would get. The Bulldogs then drove down to the three-yard line before turning the ball over on a fumble. But, the mishap only set up an interception by Trevion Milton, who had the touchdown called back by a penalty. However, it did allow the bulldogs to keep possession of the ball.
The Bulldogs then turned to Malachi Graham, who turned upfield for a 20-yard touchdown run, extending the Bulldogs' lead, 16-6, following the extra point added by Green. The Bulldogs scored again before halftime when Milton recovered a bad snap in the end-zone, giving the Bulldogs a 23-6 lead going into halftime.
To begin the third quarter, Bronson Tillotson found Javarian Smith for a 39-yard touchdown pass, which gave the Bulldogs a 30-6 lead. From there, senior Andrew Brown became a wrecking ball for the Bulldogs' defense, shutting down any attempt to move the ball. "Tonight we came out with a good spirit. We came out and played for our community, played for Suwannee," Brown said. "That's how we play. We play tough. We try to keep it classy, but we go for the win and we were able to do that tonight in front of a great crowd." The Bulldogs added another touchdown by Graham from four yards out, bringing the Bulldogs' score to 37-6.
As the fourth quarter began, the student section chanted for 50 points and the Bulldogs did not disappoint the crowd. With seven minutes and 44 seconds left to go, Atkinson scored again, this time from one yard out, making the score 44-6. The Eagles then added their second and final touchdown on the night on an 80-yard touchdown pass, giving them 12 points. The Bulldogs answered again with one minute and five seconds left, when Atkinson scampered for a 25-yard touchdown run and delivered on the crowd's wishes. With the extra point added by Green, the Bulldogs finished the night with a final score of 51-12, bringing their record to 3-4 on the season.
"I thought tonight we played four quarters for the first time this year, I thought our preparation was good," head coach Kyler Hall said. "They came out here and handled business tonight and it was great to do it on homecoming."
The Bulldogs will be on the road on Friday, Oct. 22, as they take on the Bishop Kenny High School Crusaders at 7 p.m. Bishop Kenny High School is located at 1055 Kingman Ave., in Jacksonville.