Priceville storms past Eagles
Ryan Brubaker and Nick Bell celebrate a touchdown. | Clif Knight
CADDO – Priceville’s Bulldogs used a balanced offensive attack and a stubborn defense to storm past East Lawrence’s Eagles, 34-20, in a Class 4A region battle on the road Friday night.
The win lifted the upstart Bulldogs to a 2-2 overall record and evened their regional record at 1-2.
Senior Quarterback Chance Ellsworth played a pivotal role in the victory. He completed 10 of 13 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns and had 94 yards rushing on 14 carries with a touchdown.
Wide receiver/kicker Nick Bell also had a breakout game as a receiver. He caught three passes for 89 yards and three touchdowns and converted four of five extras point attempts.
“We were disappointed in last week’s loss and we challenged out kids hard all week in practice,” said Priceville head coach Dirk Strunk. “They responded well tonight; they executed out gamelan with great precision.
“This is a big win for our program,” he added. “I hope we have hit out stride, but we can’t afford to be satisfied with this win. We’ve got to keep working and striving to get better. Danville is coming in next week and that’s going to be another big challenge for us.”
The Bulldogs scored on their first possession, marching 53 yards in eight plays. Trey Jones squeezed in from a yard out with 6:24 left in the first period and Nick Bell added the extra point to make the score 7-0. A key play in the drive was a 19-yard pass form Ellsworth to Forrest Clemons.
East Lawrence answered with an 80-yard drive in 10 plays. Terrence Delaney scored from a yard out with 1:14 left in the first period, but he was stopped short of the goal line on a two-point conversion, leaving the Bulldogs clinging to a 7-6 lead.
The Eagles then capitalized on a Bulldog fumble at their own 5-yard line and capped a 95-yard drive with a 27-yard Delaney run to go ahead 12-7 with 4:14 left in the first half.
The Bulldogs regained the lead for keeps with 2:22 left in the half on a 23-yard pass from Ellsworth to Bell. Bell added the extra to make the score 14-12.
Another Ellsworth to Bell Pass – this one for 44 yards – enabled the Bulldogs to go up 21-12 with 9:34 left in the third period.
The Bulldogs logged their fourth touchdown on a 14-yard pass from Ellsworth to Harold Blades after forcing and recovering an Eagle fumble. Bell’s kick for the extra point was wide and the score remained at 27-12 with 7:55 left in the game.
They scored again with 4:55 left in the final period on a 7-yard run by Ellsworth. Bell booted the extra point to make the score 34-12.
The Eagles answered with a 12-yard TD run by Delaney with 1:47 left in the game. Simpson scored a two point conversion on a running play to make the score 34-20.
