Alvord running back Zane Smith cuts up field against De Leon in the Bulldogs’ 48-7 loss in the bi-district round Friday at Godley ISD’s Wildcat Stadium. MACK THWEATT | WCMESSENGER
Alvord’s ballhawk defense could only do so much against the De Leon Bearcats Friday night in the 2A Division I bi-district round.
Despite forcing four turnovers, recovering an onside kick and managing a few fourth-down stands, Alvord never found the offensive rhythm needed to put De Leon on their heels, falling 48-7 at Godley ISD’s Wildcat Stadium.
The Bearcats (7-4, 4-1) will face Mildred (11-0) in the second round. Alvord (4-7, 4-2) finishes the season in the bi-district round for the fourth straight season.
“De Leon is a good team. Defensively, we did some good things. They had shown on film that we might have some opportunities for turnovers, and we were able to get some,” said Alvord coach Marcus Grgurich. “We just weren’t able to capitalize on them tonight.”
Alvord linebacker Keegan Fowler leads a gang of Bulldog tacklers to bring down De Leon senior Christian Glider for a short gain Friday night. MACK THWEATT | WCMESSENGER
It was a frustrating night offensively for the Bulldogs. But after a litany of miscues, Alvord’s offense started to stack a few first downs with about 6 minutes to go in the first half. Although trailing 21-0, the game was not out of reach, and things were starting to click.
Facing a third and short at the 40, Alvord quarterback Dalton George faked a handoff and turned to cut around the edge but was met immediately by a De Leon linebacker who broke past the line of scrimmage. The blind-side collision resulted in a fumble and an injury to the team’s signal caller. De Leon scored in the final seconds of the half to go up 28-0.
Alvord refused to go away, however. De Leon took the second half kick past midfield. But the scrappy Alvord defense managed to shake the ball loose one last time after a Bearcat hurdle attempt on the second play of the third quarter.
Alvord linebacker Rowdy Bowler leaps to deflect a De Leon kick Friday night at Godley ISD’s Wildcat Stadium. MACK THWEATT | WCMESSENGER
Backup quarterback Rhett Richey fired a 30-yard dart to receiver Brayden Clark on a crossing route to keep the perfect start going. Richey then found Zane Smith in the end zone for a two-yard touchdown, piquing the interest of the Alvord faithful. On the ensuing kickoff, the Bulldogs had their full attention.
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Alvord came out of the pile with ball after an onside kick, officially breathing new life into a game that had no business being close. But the three-and-outs that plagued Alvord in the first half returned. And after trading empty possessions, De Leon turned an interception into a dagger score.
De Leon quarterback Heston Jobe hit a wide open Bryce Burkeen for a 20-yard score to go up 35-7 in the final seconds of the quarter.
De Leon racked up 413 yards to Alvord’s 116. Jobe was 11 of 19 for 142 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Adan Salinas led the Bearcats’ offense with 180 yards and two scores. Burkeen had two touchdowns and 89 yards receiving on six receptions.
Alvord committed five turnovers of their own in the effort, with four interceptions and one lost fumble. Richey went 6 of 10 for 47 yards and a touchdown through the air. Zane Fuentes led the bulldogs with 30 yards rushing on five attempts. Clark led the team in receiving with 30 yards on one reception.
Alvord was a surprise third seed out of 2A-I Region II District 6. The Bulldogs started the season 0-4, and then reeled off four straight district wins to secure a spot in the playoffs.
“One of the things I’m proud of is we overcame a really rough start, and put ourselves in a position to play for a two-seed and be a playoff team,” Grgurich said. “That kind of start is something that many team’s can’t overcome. A lot of guys can’t overcome that type of adversity. These guys did.”
And while the loss stung, the coach said the fact that it hurt showed the growth of his team.
Alvord players and coaches console one another following their first-round loss to De Leon Friday in Godley. MACK THWEATT | WCMESSENGER
“Because you’re disappointed it means you had expectations. That’s what you always want to have in your lives: The expectation to be successful,” he said. “I told them after the game that you’re going to be better men because of the adversity we faced on our football team this year.”
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