Bears Battle the Bulldogs for Homecoming

The stage was set for football Friday night as the Willow Springs Bears hosted their neighboring SCA competitor, the Cabool Bulldogs, for Homecoming. Prior to the start of the game, emotions and ceremony ran high with the crowning of Homecoming Queen, Allie Martin.

The Bears knew they had their work cut out for them as Cabool came into the game with a 2-0 record, ranked fifth in state in Class 1.

The Bulldogs gained the ball for the first possession by snagging an onside kick, a tactic they tried multiple times in the contest.  This first possession ended with a touchdown pass from Cabool’s Trey Atkins to Austin Daniel and a subsequent two-point conversion.

For the third week in a row the young Bears team came up against a bigger, stronger and more experienced opponent.  

Throughout the game, the Bulldogs powered toward the end zone with a strong running campaign, picking up huge gains on punt returns to set up their next scoring play.

The Bears had trouble moving the ball on the ground or in the air against the rush of the Bulldogs defensive line and by halftime the score was 60-0, Cabool.

The main ball carrier for the Bears was sophomore running back, Jethro Gilliam, stepping up with a great effort to fill in for Kayden Woolsey, who left early in the game with an ankle injury. Woolsey did not return to action. Quarterback Dylan Ferguson also connected with receivers Jon Baugh and Aiden Stuart throughout the game.

The Bears defense made itself known early with a tackle for loss and a stop on a two-point conversion by Leric Chaney, but for most of the game, the talented Bulldog offense just kept coming.

The second half seemed like a repeat of the last two games with both teams subbing JV players in and out and the turbo clock running.  The Bears finally saw a glimmer of success on offense when they scored at the beginning of the fourth quarter on a quarterback keeper by Dylan Ferguson. The final score of the game was 66-6, Cabool.

The Bears will be in action Friday night at home against the Mtn. Grove Panthers (1-2).