The Bartlett Bulldogs, though, were able to get just enough stops to keep themselves - and their season - alive into the fourth quarter.
But the Bulldogs were unable to get a stop when they needed it most, allowing the Pirates run out the clock and Bartlett’s dreams of returning to playoff glory.
Bartlett, a surprise undefeated district champion, saw one of its most successful seasons this decade end with a 20-14 loss to Chilton in a Class A Division II bi-district playoff game at Mart ISD Athletic Complex.
The Bulldogs, winless in 2007, finished 7-4. Chilton (7-4) advanced to face Ganado (6-3) in the area round.
“Nobody expected us to win anything,” first-year Bartlett coach Joe Mullins said. “We won district (26-A) and would like to keep on playing, but that’s the way it goes.”
Trailing 20-6 early in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs needed a spark - not to mention a quick score - to keep themselves in the game.
Senior Eric Benavides provided just that, setting up the Bulldogs deep in Pirate territory with a 62-yard kickoff return. Five plays later, Benavides rumbled into the end zone for his second touchdown on a 3-yard run. A two-point conversion run by sophomore Eric Walker brought Bartlett within a score at 20-14 with just more than seven minutes remaining.
But Chilton used a mix of inside-outside running by quarterback Xavier Shaw and running backs Devante James and Demeris Randolph that worked for most of the game to run the final 7:19 off the clock. The back-breaker was a 13-yard pickup on an option keeper by Shaw to convert a third-and-8 with less than three minutes remaining.
“We knew (Shaw) was going to hurt us outside so we moved our outside linebackers outside to help,” Mullins said. “When we did that, they started hitting off tackle. We adjusted at the half, moved our linebackers in and stopped them pretty good, then they started hitting outside.”
James, Randolph and Shaw were the only Pirates to touch the ball and Shaw attempted just three passes in Chilton’s option-based offense.
Randolph rushed for a team-high 81 yards on 16 carries, James had 65 yards and two touchdowns and Shaw added 65 yards.
“We had a chance to win it; it just wasn’t meant to be,” Mullins said.
Bartlett was able to run the ball with a mix of Benavides and Walker, but it cost itself in the first half with a fumble and an interception.
Walker finished with a game-high 90 yards on 23 carries, raising his season total to 993. Benavides rushed for 51 yards on 12 carries.
The Bulldogs’ best chance to score came midway through the first quarter after a 10-play drive put Bartlett at the Pirates’ 15. But once inside the red zone, Walker, Benavides and quarterback Pierre Smith were unable to move the Bulldogs any closer. Smith’s attempt to scramble for a first down on fourth-and-13 failed and Bartlett turned the ball over on downs.
Chilton got a 55-yard punt return from Shaw to take a 6-0 halftime lead.
When Mullins arrived at Bartlett, he admitted that his first job was making sure his team had confidence in itself. Now, Mullins is eager to see how the Bulldogs play when they expect to win.
“These kids needed to learn how to win - that’s what they did,” Mullins said. “That was the first hurdle, just knowing they could. Hopefully this will carry on to next year."
rschneider@temple-telegram.com
