Last year’s game between Wayne and Elmore City-Pernell did not sit well with the Badgers. The Badgers lost the game 26-20 on a fourth and goal as time was running out. The Badgers have been looking forward to this year’s game against Wayne ever since.
The Badgers started Friday's game out like they have all year – physical. The Badgers’ first series showcased a mix of run and option passes that led to Derrion Rogers catching a Tyler Martin pass for a touchdown, putting the Badgers on top 6-0. The Bulldogs answered with a pass from Ethan Mullins to Brannon Lewelling for a touchdown to tie the game 6-6.
The Badgers were not able to get anything going on the next series and gave the ball back to the Bulldogs. Wayne took the ball, drove down the field, and capped it off with a Mullins run for a touchdown and a two-point conversion to give the Bulldogs the lead at 14-6.
The beginning of the third quarter the Badgers’ Martin ran the ball for a touchdown and a successful two-point conversion to tie the score at 14-14. The Badgers stopped the Bulldogs on the next drive and took the ball to the endzone for a score from a Martin pass to Noah Frazier and Hunter Burger two-point conversion run to increase the Badgers’ lead to 22-14.
The next drive for the Bulldogs was unsuccessful as the Badgers’ defensive line started to dominate the Bulldog offensive line. The Badgers scored again on the next drive as Burger ran the ball for a touchdown to bring the score to 28-14.
The Bulldogs managed to get Kaleb Madden behind the Badger secondary for a touchdown pass to make the score 28-20.
The Badgers’ Martin scored next with a touchdown run to widen the lead by 14 points, with a score of 34-20.
The Bulldogs’ Mullins answered back with a run of his own to cut the lead to 8 at 34-26.
The Bulldogs had a chance with under three minutes to go in the game, but the Badger defense would not allow that to happen. The Badgers’ Bubba Cain and Andrew Sawyer made sure that Bulldog Ethan Mullins did not have a chance to make anything happen. The Bulldogs turned the ball over on downs and the Badgers ran the clock out for a 34-26 victory.
The 8-0 Badgers will celebrate their seniors this coming Friday as they welcome Rush Springs to Wheeler Field. The Redskins are coming off a 36-0 loss at Wynnewood last week and are in a perfect spot to become a spoiler for the Badgers. The Redskins are a young team that can play well when determined to do so. The Badgers need to continue to play their physical type of game and not let the Redskins derail them. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
