The Dragons sank their claws into yet another victory Friday night, defeating the Wetumka Chieftains in the first round of the OSSAA Class B Playoffs. Hosting Wetumka for round one, the Dragons not only had home field advantage but also a stellar offense that garnered a total of 718 yards against the Chieftains. Dewar quarterback Joey Fowler led an impressive passing offense that obtained the Dragons six touchdowns with James Brison, Ty Whitlow and Garret Loyd on the receiving end of Fowler’s passes.

“We just wanted to try to limit their big plays, which we didn’t do such a great job of and just very sporadically did I guess.” Dewar football coach Josh Been said, commenting on the Dragons’ strategy. “But at times we didn’t…They weren’t able to establish any long drives or anything like that, but they did have some big plays on us.”

Wetumka lost control of the ball earlier in the first quarter allowing the Dragons to gain a six-point lead. Dewar running back Shawn Maxwell sprinted into the end zone on a three-yard touchdown run to put the Dragons on the scoreboard 6-0.

Wetumka took control and brought the ball close to a first down. One yard was all they needed to keep possession of the ball, but Dewar guard Baylor Selby brought down Wetumka’s quarterback for a turnover on downs. Selby was a force to be reckoned with defensively, earning three sacks against Wetumka and holding their offense back for tackles that resulted in a loss of yards.

The Dragons struggling to find the right avenue to make any headway against the Chieftains. Incomplete passes and tough rushing plays leave them no room for a first down. Wetumka took over on the 41-yard line but also had a few mishaps, including a false start, which left them 15 yards from keeping the ball in their hands. Despite Selby bringing them back near the 46-yard line, Chieftain Lucky Yahola found an opening for a 44-yard rushing touchdown.

Their rushing touchdown tied the game up with six minutes left in the first quarter, 6-6.

A foul on the Chieftain’s punt return put the ball on the 50-yard line for the Dragons, but Fowler ensured the Dragons would close in on the end zone. He found tight end James Brison open for a 15-yard pass, which garnered the Dragons a first down. Despite the big play, Dewar lost control of the ball, allowing the Chieftains to regain control of the ball on the 35-yard line. Wetumka might have obtained possession, but they struggled to find an opening past a strong Dewar defense. Senior tight end Robert Clark forced Wetumka quarterback Trever McGirt out of bounds, while a big tackle earlier left the Chieftains 20 yards from a first down.

Punting the ball back to the Dragons, Wetumka puts things into motion on the 30-yard line. The Dragons easily take the ball down the field near the 15-yard line with drives from Fowler and also passes to Thomas Brownfield. A pass to Whitlow brings the Dragons within striking distance. With the ball on the 12-yard line, Whitlow caught a touchdown reception from Fowler to usurp control of the scoreboard, 14-6 at the end of the quarter.

Despite gaining control of the ball from a fumble recovery, the Dragons lost possession on an end zone interception that allowed Wetumka to start the second quarter with the ball.

Back-to-back tackles for a loss left the Chieftains with a 12-yard uphill battle when Brownfield swooped in to obtain his second defensive interception of the night. The Dragons gained control of the field but struggles offensively allowed Wetumka to take over on downs.

With control of the ball on the five-yard line, the Chieftains saw an opportunity for a 95-yard touchdown run. A two-point conversion helped tie the game once again 14-14.

After seeing the Chieftains establish a second tie, the Dragons offense resurrected their momentum and regained possession of the scoreboard. Fowler worked double time to complete back-to-back 40-yard passes to Whitlow into the end zone. Earning a 40-yard and a 45-yard touchdown reception, Whitlow and Fowler extended the Dragons lead into the double digits for the first time, 26-14.

Towards the end of the half Maxwell recovers a fumble to give the Dragons one last chance to establish a solid lead. Carrying the ball down to the 24-yard line, the Dragons are set to make another touchdown with Fowler completing a 24-yard pass to Garrett Loyd.

The Dragons ended the half with a double digit advantage over the Chieftains, demolishing the tie they had built up with a 32-14 score.

Holding their ground when they returned after the half, the Dragons increased their lead in the third quarter. Brownfield and Maxwell led a tough rushing offense, while the Dragons defense held back the Chieftains. Opening with a big run, Brownfield secured a 50-yard touchdown drive that put the Dragons ahead 40-14. Maxwell ended the quarter with a 32-yard touchdown run and the Dragons completed their third two-point conversion to garner a 48-14 advantage.

Wetumka was able to chime in again in the fourth quarter, but the Dragons offense had been able to find their footing by then. Fowler found Whitlow open for their third touchdown pass of the night. Whitlow caught a 17-yard pass and found his way into the end zone, which put the Dragons ahead 54-14.

With a 40-point lead, the Dragons weren’t able to stop the Chieftains from going on another big run. Similar to the second quarter the Chieftains took the ball for a 67-yard touchdown run, which put them behind 54-22.

Brison and Fowler were able to reinstate the Dragons’ 40-point advantage with a 15-yard touchdown reception. But the Chieftains answered with a touchdown pass of their own, the first of the night, 62-28.

Fowler ensured the Dragons would have the last say, earning a 15-yard drive into the end zone to solidify the Dragons’ 68-28 victory.

“It was good,” Been said of the win. “I feel like we didn’t play very well just to be honest. I feel like we played defensively, I feel like we played pretty bad. I know it doesn’t look like it on the scoreboard…It’s always good to win and that’s the goal, you got to go one at a time, but I would have liked to play better. I feel like we are going to have to play better to beat some of the teams we will have to play in the future and so hopefully we can kind of fix that this week.”

Earning their 11th consecutive win of the 2019 season, the Dragons are scheduled to head into the second round of the OSSAA Playoffs on Friday, Nov. 22 at home. The Dragons are set to host the Summit Christian Eagles, who are currently second in their district.

DHS 14 18 16 20_68

WHS 6 8 0

14_28

First Quarter

DHS_Maxwell 3-yard run (Failed two-point conversion)

WHS_44-yard run (Failed two-point conversion)

DHS_Brison 12-yard pass from Fowler (Two-point conversion)

Second Quarter

WHS_95-yard run (Two-point conversion)

DHS_Whitlow 40-yard pass from Fowler (Failed two-point conversion)

DHS_Whitlow 45-yard pass from Fowler (Failed two-point conversion)

DHS_Loyd 24-yard pass from Fowler (Failed two-point conversion)

Third Quarter

DHS_Brownfield 50-yard run (Two-point conversion)

DHS_Maxwell 32-yard run (Two-point conversion)

Foruth Quarter

DHS_Whitlow 17-yard pass from Fowler (Failed two-point conversion)

WHS 67-yard run (Two-point conversion)

DHS_Brison 15-yard pass from Fowler (Two-point conversion)

WHS 35-yard pass (Failed two-point conversion)

DHS_Fowler 15-yard run (Failed