Lee Trawick
Reporter2@riverbendnews.org
On Friday, Oct. 28, the Suwannee High School Bulldogs (6-2) varsity football team traveled to Wakulla High School to take on the War Eagles (7- 2). The weight of the Class 2S District 4 Championship hung heavy in the air. The Bulldogs' strong defensive front was looking to pressure the War Eagles' quarterback, who has led his team to seven wins while throwing for 2,048 yards and connecting for 21 touchdowns. With their impressive running attack, the War Eagles are able to keep defenses off-balance. However, Suwannee's defensive front would prove to be too overpowering.
The War Eagles struck first, as the Bulldogs' secondary gave a miscue. Their quarterback found his receiver over the top for an 80-yard touchdown pass, giving the War Eagles a 7-0 lead less than one minute into the game. However, something has been brewing for some time now within Suwannee; they have garnered a belief in themselves that has taught them not to panic. They understood their offense would bring them back into the game.
This belief paid off immediately when quarterback Bronsen Tillotson dropped back on the Bulldogs' first play, finding his dynamic wide receiver, Javarion “Jay” Smith, on a short slant pass. After he avoided an outreached diving defender, Smith was off to the races, only being brought down once he reached the 10-yard-line. With the crowd on their feet in anticipation, Tillotson capped off the drive when he bullied his way into the end zone on a one-yard touchdown run. After a failed extra point, the Bulldogs trailed, 7-6.
This score would not last long, as the Bulldogs' defense settled in and pushed their opponents back deep into their own territory, forcing the War Eagles to punt and putting the Bulldogs at midfield. They then picked up where they left off on the previous drive, as their offensive line imposed their will on the War Eagles, dominating the trenches all night long. Tillotson then turned to his running back, Marquavious Owens, who ran for 35 yards on two carries, putting the Bulldogs' special teams in a position to take the lead midway through the first quarter. With the ball positioned inside the red zone, the kicker Braxtyn Green drilled the ball through the uprights, giving the Bulldogs a 9-7 lead.
From that point forward, the Bulldogs' defense quickly gave the ball the back to their offense. Unfortunately, they were unable to make anything happen. The Bulldogs' special teams coach once again called on Green from 42 yards away. With plenty of power left, Green drilled the ball through the uprights, giving the Bulldogs a 12-7 lead. Their offense then extended their lead again with a time-draining drive, capped off with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Tillotson to Ka'Derian Ivey. With the extra point added, the Bulldogs took control with a 19-7 lead late in the second quarter.
However, the War Eagles were never a team to be taken lightly, as they have proven this season to have a quick-strike offense. With just under a minute remaining in the second quarter, the Bulldogs' defense made a few missteps that prolonged the War Eagles' efforts. This allowed them to drive down the field and add another seven points before halftime. With the score now at 19-14 in favor of the War Eagles, the Bulldogs refused to be discouraged. They knew, as long as they cleaned up their mistakes, they could hold off the War Eagles. Although only able to add three points in the second half when Green once again connected from 48 yards out, the Bulldogs held onto a 22-14 lead.
Then, late in the fourth quarter, the game came down to the War Eagles' final drive; they needed a touchdown and a two-point conversion to tie the game. With a sense of urgency on the War Eagles' sideline, the crowd tried to will their team back into the game. Meanwhile, on the Bulldogs' sideline, jubilation could be felt throughout the crowd, as they could see a District Championship on the horizon. With the clock winding down to zero, D.J. Coleman erupted Bulldog nation with an interception, not only securing the game, but also their first District Championship title since 2015.
The Bulldogs entered the season with two big questions: could their quarterback grow into the play caller they believed he could be and would his offensive line hold up this season? As the season progressed, the offensive line proved to answer the call in dominating fashion. Then, as apparent on Friday night against the War Eagles, Owens and Tillotson relished in a clean back field all night. Tillotson passed for 246 yards in the air on 14 of 25 passes, while Owens rushed for 153 yards on the ground. The Bulldogs tallied a total of 428 yards of offense, with Smith racking of 157 yards on six catches.
The Bulldogs regular season concludes on Friday, Nov. 4, at home, as they will host the Bradford Tornadoes (9-0). Kick off will be at 7:30 p.m. at Paul Langford Stadium, located at 302 Parshley St. SW, in Live Oak.