The ECI Bulldog football played their last region game at home Friday when they hosted Montgomery Co. at Rountree Stadium. ECI led 35-0 at the half with both teams scoring a touchdown in the second half for a final score of 42-6. The Bulldogs took the opening kickoff and scored the game’s first touchdown after a 9-play drive. Brian Steele bulled over from the one for a 7-0 ECI lead.
ECI scored their second touchdown of the quarter a few minutes later on a Chase Johnson 7-yard run to go up 14-0. The Bulldog defense didn’t allow the Eagles to cross their own 30 in the opening quarter. Chase Johnson put the Bulldogs ahead 21-0 early in the second quarter when he turned the corner and raced 67 yards for the score. Setup by a Jackson Kennedy to Jack Walden 39-yard pass, the Bulldogs made the score 28-0 on a Hudson Henry 1 yard plunge. The varsity Bulldogs scored their last touchdown of the night later in the second quarter on an 8-yard run by Henry for a 35-0 lead at halftime. The Eagles got on the board in the third quarter when a Bulldog defender misjudged his leap which allowed the receiver to take it in for a 75-yard touchdown. The JV Bulldogs played most of the second half and posted their own touchdown in the third quarter. Freshman Patron Mack found the endzone in the third quarter to make the final score 42-6. The Bulldogs rushed for 344 yards plus 62 through the air for 406 offensive yards. The Bulldogs defense held the Eagles to just 27 yards rushing and just 154 yards on the night with 75 coming on the scoring pass play. Chase Johnson led the pack of 8 dawgs on the ground with 127 yards and 2 touchdowns. Hudson Henry 62 yards, 2 TD, and Brian Steele 51 yards, were the other rushing leaders. Jackson Kennedy was 2-4 passing for 55 yards with Jack Walden, Abb Marsh and James Parker catching one pass each.
The Bulldogs are the three seed from region 3 in the state playoff and will be on the road Friday to Lakeland to take on the number 2 seed from region 2, Lanier Co.
In other region 3 games, Portal won their first every region championship Friday in overtime against previously unbeaten Jenkins Co., McIntosh had an open week.
More about the ECI vs Lanier matchup elsewhere in the sports pages of The Forest Blade.
