Covington Academy Bulldogs outmatched by Victory Baptist’s rushing attack, falls 56-7

COVINGTON, Ga. — After a 1-1 start to the season, the Covington Academy Bulldogs fell to the Victory Baptist Warriors 57-6 at Wolverine Field in Oxford, Georgia, on Thursday, Aug. 28.

“We gotta reset,” Bulldogs first-year head coach Isaiah Ellis said. “We played our first three games against teams that account for seven out of the last 10 GAPS state championships. We still feel like we’re better than the last three teams we played, but it’s a matter of not giving up and changing the culture.”

The Bulldogs came out hot, intercepting Warriors quarterback Lawrence Drake on the second play from scrimmage. However, the Bulldogs failed to capitalize on the turnover after a holding penalty, pushing them behind the sticks. An incomplete pass turned the ball over on downs near the 40 yard line.

“​​The mentality was smooth, clean play. Relax, hit when you need to hit, and just make plays when you get a chance to make a play,” Ellis said. “It broke down when our offensive line couldn’t contain (Victory Baptist). When they couldn’t contain and give our quarterback time, we started losing matchups, and it caused us to have interceptions where the quarterback is getting hit as he throws, or panicking to get out of the pocket because he has less than two seconds to throw. It caused a lot of under-thrown passes.”

The Warriors took advantage of the great field position, led by the two-pronged rushing attack of Drake and running back Darryl Jones III, the Warriors pushed deep into Bulldog territory, before wide receiver Benjamin Spitalnick capped the drive with a 8-yard receiving touchdown with 4:06 left in the first quarter.

“We came out strong and got the pick, and that was supposed to be all she wrote for Victory, but they fought back,” Ellis said. “We have to learn that people are going to actually fight back. They’re going to actually fight back and try to win. We’re not the only ones out here playing.”

Back on offense, the Bulldogs’ woes continued, as a mishandled snap allowed Spitalnick to recover the ball for another touchdown, increasing the Warriors’ lead to 14-0. The turnover marked the first of six for the Bulldogs. 

Another stalled drive gave the ball back to the Warriors, and Drake found tight end Nathaniel Capes for a 38-yard touchdown, ending the first quarter up 21-0.

Aided by a pair of Caleb Price quarterback scrambles, Covington began to build momentum in the second quarter, driving to the Warriors’ red zone, before a miscommunication led to another Warrior interception. 

“One of the receivers thought the call was for him. So we had two receivers that ran the exact same route on each other’s tail, and it just turned into a cluster,” Ellis said. 

Despite the poor field position, Jones III went coast-to-coast for another Warrior touchdown, his first of the night. A blocked extra point left the score at 33-0, and after another Bulldogs turnover on downs, the Warriors scored a field goal to end the half at 36-0. 

“We focused on our offensive line being aggressive and setting the tone. We’re glad and pleased to have the offensive line kind of be the focal point of our whole team,” Victory Baptist head coach Colt Key said.

Just like the first half, the Bulldogs came out swinging, as Price found wide receiver Kayden Slayton for a passing touchdown, their first and only points of the night. 

The Warriors responded with another lengthy, run-heavy drive, scoring their third rushing touchdown of the night at the hands of Sawyer Kent and converting the following two-point conversion. 

“The defense was getting too excited and wanted to rush in and get a big hit, just to have the person run right by them. People were diving in, letting go of the fundamentals that we taught at practice, diving at people’s feet, and not wrapping up. I saw their quarterback (Drake) make an insane escape on the sideline; he was wrapped up by two of our defenders, he went all the way to the ground, but his knee didn’t touch the ground,” Ellis said. “He put his hand down, got up, got a first down, which could have been a 15-yard loss, turned into a force first down.”

After another failed offensive drive and a blocked punt, the Bulldogs caught a break as linebacker Aiden Robinson recovered a loose ball, the Bulldogs’ second forced turnover of the night. 

That fortune was short-lived, however, as the Warriors’ Dominick Smith picked off Price and returned it for a touchdown, extending the lead further. 

“He (Price) had 5 turnovers. That’s something we cannot have, but he doesn’t have time to even protect the ball. If you’re still catching the snap you got a big, scary man in your face, because he’s one of the shorter quarterbacks. We already have to roll him out to see his passes. But if somebody’s in your face already, it’s only so much you can do,” Ellis said. “If the line is not blocking, and the receivers aren’t running their routes, then the quarterback is stuck running for his life, and that’s what we faced.”

Another Warrior rushing touchdown brought the game to its final score of 57-6, leaving the Bulldogs with a 1-2 record. Despite the loss, Ellis says there’s still more to come from his team.

“They know it’s still changes going on. They got to get used to my coaching style. They got to get used to losing and being able to come back from a loss. You’re not going to win them all; The goal is to win them all, but you’re not going to win them all,” Ellis said. “I’m still in the middle of trying to change the culture of this team with a whole bunch of new, great athletes that can do anything, but they’ve never played football a day in their life. The first win was not a fluke. It’s just the culture that still needs to change.”

The Bulldogs look to bounce back on the road next week on Friday, Sept. 5, at the New Creation Christian Academy in McDonough, Georgia. Tickets are available on GoFan.