The Corrigan-Camden Bulldogs edged past the Groveton Indians 20-18 for their first district win on Friday.
In this year’s Battle of Highway 287 football contest, the Bulldogs were forced to weather the storm at home, as the Indians rallied to score 18 answered points midway through the night.
“We had to expect Groveton would come out hard and try to take it to us. For a while, they did, and we allowed them to stay in the game,” said Bulldog head coach Brett Ratliff. “We had to find a way to dig ourselves out of that hole. Their coaching staff did a great job swapping quarterbacks and their primary runner. They are starting to figure out their personnel.”
The victory not only started Corrigan with a 1-0 district record, but tied things up in the 2024-2025 Battle of 287 rivalry cup, after Groveton recently won their volleyball matchup versus Corrigan.
Corrigan received a short kickoff to start, but did not get far and turned the ball over on fourth down. Groveton’s offense would get into Bulldog territory, but Corrigan’s defense held up, intercepting a pass to regain possession.
Bulldog sophomore running back Derrick Reagie helped get things going with a couple of strong runs. Shortly after, senior quarterback Michael Sullivan would take a simple sneak on third down 72 yards up the middle for the first Bulldog touchdown.
After a quick three-and-out by Groveton, Reagie had a big fourth-down run going into the second quarter.
Bulldog junior running back Mason Murphy made a big catch in traffic to get near the red zone. This was followed by a similar grab by junior tight end Tahj Thomas, who broke a tackle across the goal line for another Bulldog touchdown to make it a 14-0 lead.
Groveton quarterback Carmelo Edwards finally got things going for the Indians with a long keeper into Bulldog territory, but a bad snap turned the ball over.
A turnover on the following punt attempt set the Indians up deep in Corrigan territory.
Starting from inside the red zone, Groveton pushed forward on the ground and capped off the drive with Edwards running through the end zone for six points, making it 14-6.
The Bulldogs would quickly fumble again on the next possession, setting up Groveton receiver Justin Crotts to get in for another Indian touchdown.
This to cut the lead 14-12 after another missed extra point by Groveton going into halftime.
The Indians started strong in the third, with hard runs and converting on a couple of fourth downs. After a facemask penalty, Groveton junior Brayden Reynolds would get the inside handoff for a touchdown to steal an 18-14 lead.
Corrigan would finally respond by moving the chains into Indian territory. After a pass to Murphy got called back on a penalty, Sullivan threw an even longer 33-yard rainbow to Murphy for a touchdown, regaining the lead to end the third quarter.
The Indians suffered a quick three-and-out to start the fourth and the Bulldogs would work to eat the rest of the clock, but were forced to punt midway through the quarter.
Corrigan’s defense would still hold strong, allowing only one first down, and later forcing a punt. This time, the Bulldog offense would get the crucial first-down run with about two minutes left to help seal the game.
The Bulldogs will travel for their next district match against the Hearne Eagles at 7 p.m. this Friday.
