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Ider's bid for state championship ends
From staff reports
The Weekly Post
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Published November 25, 2009
Ider's quest for a trip to the Super 6 in Tuscaloosa ended last Friday night as the Class 2A, No.5-ranked Lamar County Bulldogs (13-0) handed the Hornets a 35-13 setback.
All season long the Hornets have owned the fourth quarter, but with the lead and almost 11 minutes remaining in the game, miscues and penalties cost Ider their second loss of the season and a trip to the semi-finals.
Ider (11-2) finished the regular season 9-1, in the playoffs they defeated Lanett in the first-round and Lineville in the second. This year's trip to the playoffs marked Ider's first appearance since 1998.
The Bulldogs controlled the first half of play, putting together 32 offensive plays to Ider's 17.
Lamar Co. claimed the first lead of the contest. The Bulldogs reached paydirt with 4:34 remaining in the second quarter. Quarterback Michael Bradford found an open Will Franks for a 14-yard scoring reception, that capped off an 18-play drive. The PAT was no good, giving Lamar Co. a 6-0 edge at the half.
Ider opened the second half with great field position at the 47-yard line, thanks in part to a nice kickoff return by Teague Whitaker. On the second play of the drive, Cole Spurgeon made an almost impossible circus catch for a 38 yard gain. From the 13-yard line Ider needed only two more plays before Beau Dobbins powered his way into the end zone from 6 yards out. Dakota Ellis came in and calmly toed the point-after, giving Ider the lead with 9:40 left in the third quarter.
On Lamar County's next possession they drove 79 yards to the Ider 4-yard line before being shutdown by the swarming Ider defense, led by Dylon Overdear, Colton Dunn and TJ Taylor.
Taking over at the 4-yard marker, Ider's offense failed to spark a drive and was forced to punt the ball away from deep in their own end zone.
After the punt, with good field position at Ider's 38 yard-line, Lamar Co. regained the lead after fullback Lance Bobbitt scored on a 13-yard run, dragging would-be tacklers with him into the end zone, with 10:59 left in the fourth. The two-point conversion pass was broke up by Rex Culpepper, leaving the score 12-7.
Ider's woe's began to take place following the ensuing kickoff. After moving the ball down to 38-yard line, Ider was faced with a third-and-13, quarterback Derrick Blevins's pass was intercepted by the Bulldog's Eric Hudson and returned 80 yards for the score to complete the pick-six. Brandon Merchant kicked the point-after, giving Lamar Co. a 20-7 lead.
Following the kickoff, Ider's troubles mounted even more after a Blevins pass was tipped and picked off and returned to the 4-yard line.
The Bulldog's first play, a run by Bradford, was stopped dead in its tracks but the ball squirted loose and was recovered in the end zone by Lamar County's Marquis Plant for another Bulldog score. Bradford's pass to Hudson for the two-point conversion was successful, and with 6:56 left in the forth, Lamar Co. led 28-7.
The Bulldogs were not done, Hudson picked-off his second pass of the night on Ider's next possession and returned it to the 22-yard line, four plays later Kenneth Hill walked into the end zone untouched. Merchant added the PAT, bringing the score to 35-7.
Ider refused to concede the game, taking their next possession 65 yards in nine plays. Dobbins carried five times in the drive for 41 yards and the score as time run out on the clock.
Dobbins led the Hornets with 67 yards on 14 totes. Overdear gained 23 yards on four carries and Whitaker finished with 20 yards on 11 tries. Overdear had 11 stops in the game, Dunn had 10 and Taylor closed with nine.
Ider's storybook season comes to a close as Lamar County's continues, traveling to Class 2A, 6th-ranked Clay Co. this week.
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