After falling behind 7-0 early in the first quarter, junior Chad Platt scored on an electric 46-yard touchdown run to tie the ball game with 6:59 to play in the first quarter.
What seemed to be a possible battle of two prolific rushing attacks turned one-sided once Salem High School hit their second gear.
WBHS trailed just 14-7 in the second quarter before Salem capitalized on Bulldogg penalties to score a third touchdown at the end of the half.
The final would be 42-7 and saw the Winder-Barrow Bulldoggs drop their eighth game of the season. They continue to search for their first win after coming into the contest with hopes to spoil Salem’s senior night.
One of the seniors for Salem was running back Jahad Coleman, who finished the game up with 240 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
Coleman scored the Seminole’s first touchdown of the game when he busted through the line and went 57 yards for the score.
WBHS had some difficulties stopping the Seminoles’ rushing attack, giving up big plays that set Salem up in good position.
“There were several times where I thought we had good calls on them,” said WBHS head coach David Wagner. “But they were able to make plays and bounce outside and outrun us in some areas. Speed is a very deadly thing when you have a lot of it.”
Platt then scored his 46-yard touchdown on the ensuing possession for the Bulldoggs. Unlike the previous week, his touchdown was not brought back by a penalty.
“He’s a defensive starter that plays offense, and that role will begin to transition in the next couple of games and next season,” said Wagner.
Salem took back the lead on its second possession when Marcus Stokes scored from seven yards out.
The Seminoles did not score again until the end of the second quarter when they had an untimed play from the one-yard line as a result of a Bulldogg penalty in the end zone. Quarterback Damion Gordon snuck one in behind his big offensive line and took a 21-7 lead into halftime.
The penalty that set up the touchdown was defensive holding. Winder-Barrow had several questionable penalties called on them throughout the night, but Wagner was not looking to blame the officials when he said, “they call what they see.”
Salem did not miss a beat when it came out of the locker room for the second half. In fact, Tyler Meeks took the second half kickoff 70 yards to the end zone although it was called back on a penalty.
Seven plays later, Eric Crawford reached the end zone from 32 yards out to give the Seminoles a commanding 28-7 lead.
“We played extremely well at times, we had some busts defensively and they got some big plays on us,” said Wagner, “I felt like we had some people in position at times and missed a tackle here or there and had a few penalties that hurt us down the stretch.”
Salem scored another touchdown after forcing the Bulldoggs to go three-and-out. It was Stokes who scored his second touchdown of the game, racing 52 yards for the score.
Stokes finished the night with 128 yards and two touchdowns on just six carries.
The Seminoles’ athleticism seemed to be the determining factor in this ball game as WBHS never seemed to be able to keep up defensively.
Coleman scored his second touchdown on the first play of Salem’s next possession where he found a hole in the line and took off for a 79-yard touchdown, giving the Seminoles their final score of 42-7.
The Bulldoggs’ Jamonte Riden took the ensuing kickoff 78 yards before he was caught from behind on what seemed to be a horse collar tackle which was not called.
Riden was battling an ankle injury throughout the night and spent some time on the sidelines.
“It’s just a sprain that we’re trying to nurse and keep him healthy and get him into Friday,” Wagner said. “He wasn’t able to practice as much this week. He started off a little rusty and then settled in.
Riden still finished up with 97 yards on 11 rushes while Platt added 70 yards on eight carries to the Winder rushing effort.
WBHS hopes to have everyone healthy as they host crosstown rival Apalachee High School in the Battle of Barrow this Friday.
“It’s a big game for us, it’s a rivalry game,” said coach Wagner. “We’ve just got to focus on us and correct mistakes and get better at what we are trying to do.”
The Battle of Barrow will be hosted by Winder-Barrow for the first time in a few years this Friday. It’s also senior night for the Bulldoggs.
Kickoff at W. Clair Harris Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m.
