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By Caleb Thomas

The Pike County Bulldogs (3-5, 3-2) lost to the Straughn Tigers (4-3, 4-1) by a score of 24-0 in a Class 4A, Region 2 matchup on Friday.

The Bulldogs battled defensively, but Straughn broke the game open with a dominant second half.

“We gave up too many big plays, and they outplayed us,” said Pike County head coach Mark Hurt. “The seniors have done a great job and worked hard this year.”

Both squads played a tough brand of defense, especially in the first half. The Tigers held Pike County to just 70 yards of total offense in the first half.

Senior Quentavian Carter was a bright spot for the Bulldogs, rushing for 41 yards on six carries on offense. On the defensive side of the ball, Carter proved pesky for Straughn. He recorded two tackles-for-loss and a quarterback hurry.

“Q is a hard-nosed player, and he plays extremely hard,” Hurt said. “He has a lot of heart.”

It was an uneventful first half, with both teams punting back and forth throughout the majority of the opening frames. The Tigers went for a fourth and short in the second quarter as they looked to get a spark, but the run play was stuffed by Gavin Mortellaro.

However, the Bulldogs were unable to get any momentum on offense.

“We need to get more guys stepping up and making plays,” Hurt said. “We’re a better team than what we showed tonight.”

With just under a minute left in the half, Straughn got some momentum. A 17-yard run by the Tigers was extended by a Pike County penalty, and they quickly capitalized.

Wide receiver Jeremiah Toole pulled in a 33-yard reception, and the Tigers scored a few plays later on a 7-yard touchdown catch from Clark Gay. They took the 7-0 lead into the locker room after scoring with just 34 seconds remaining in the first half.

The Tigers opened the second half with a long drive to wear down the Bulldogs defense. Freshman quarterback Tate Watson picked up a third down conversion with a 20-yard scramble, and then found tight end Dewayne Jordan for an 11-yard pickup to get another third down.

The scoring drive that took up more than six minutes of game time ended in a field goal to make it 10-0 Tigers.

Pike County tried to punch back with a drive of their own. A few solid runs pushed the ball down the field, but the Bulldogs faced a fourth-and-one with a loud contingent of Tiger fans that made the trip to Brundidge making their presence felt.

Ultimately, Pike County was denied at the Straughn 36-yard line, turning all the momentum in Straughn’s favor. The Tigers immediately followed up the stop with a 54-yard pickup to get the ball down to the Pike County 5-yard line.

With their backs against the wall, the Bulldogs got a tackle-for-loss to make it fourth and goal from the 7-yard line. However, Watson stood in the pocket and delivered a strike to put the game out of reach, 17-0.

The Bulldogs again faced a fourth and short situation in Tiger territory, but couldn’t convert as Carter came up just short on a reception.

After the stop, Straughn broke the game open with a 72-yard touchdown run to make it 24-0, and picked off Pike County quarterback Azhoree Eutsey to seal the deal.

The Bulldogs put together a gritty drive to end the game, but came up short again. Braylin Jackson made a few big catches to help the Bulldogs drive, and finished with three catches for 58 yards.

Straughn’s defense came up with a strip sack to end the game and run the clock out.

Pike County has two road region matchups to end the regular season. The Bulldogs travel to Dale County next week.