Bulldogs look good in win

Going into Thursday night’s game, Spiro was supposed to have the edge in speed.

The Bulldogs certainly did.

But Panama was supposed to have an edge in line play.

The Razorbacks didn’t. Spiro’s speed and impressive play by both the offensive and defensive line made the difference in the Bulldogs’ 27-14 win over Panama before a huge crowd at George Ollie Stadium.

Spiro sacked Panama quarterback David Shirey nine times, frequently getting to the signal-caller before he had a chance to look for receivers.

The Bulldogs’ offensive line looked good at times, although Panama was able to put some pressure on quarterback Clayton Mitchem several times. Mitchem was able to escape the pressure using his speed, however.

Big plays belonged to Spiro. Junior K.J. Booze emerged as the next star for the Bulldogs, returning the opening punt some 75 yards for a touchdown and another 41 yards to set up a score.

He was almost impossible to tackle, reversing field and juking away from frustrated tacklers. Booze also caught three passes for 36 yards and intercepted a pass on defense.

Spiro running back Elliott Hawkins was equally impressive, rushing for 126 yards on only 13 carries, scored twice, including a 52-yard run on the opening drive of the third quarter.

The only negative for Spiro on the night was the loss of Jermaine Jimmerson, a sophomore who was expected to be a big contributor for the Bulldogs.

Jimmerson suffered a gruesome broken bone to his left leg late in the first quarter, delaying the game some 30 minutes. For some reason, there was not an ambulance at the game.

Somebody said there was one there earlier, but had to answer a call. I didn’t see an ambulance, not that I was really looking for one. Fortunately, Panama had a squad of first responders in attendance to help with the situation while Doc Stone helped hold the bone in addition to coaches from both schools.

It was a scary situation. The EMTs did an excellent job once they got there and transported him to a hospital. But it still makes me wonder why there wasn’t an ambulance standing by at the only high school football game in the county.