Battle Of Bulldogs Postponed

EDGEWOOD — The night began with Eustace Head Coach Doug Wendel and Edgewood Head Coach Ryan Simmons both talking with the referee in charge of the contest.

Both coaches were concerned about impending weather moving in from all sides. Their concern was not without warrant as just 3:57 into first quarter, the game was sent into delay due to lightning near I.T. James Memorial Stadium.

The teams were unable to resume the game at that point and had rescheduled it for noon yesterday (Saturday).

The static meter has several readings on it (0-3, 3-8, 8-20, 20-40) in miles. At 8-20 they will continue to play. At 3-8, you have to leave the field.

What little action that did happen on Friday started with the pre-game coin toss with the captains of the Eustace Bulldogs, Murphy Snuffer, Shawn Baldwin and Dillon Yates, and the captains of the Edgewood Bulldogs, Darrius Rogers, Joseph Read, Levi Weaver and Wyatt McBride.

Edgewood won the toss and chose to defend the north end of the field. Eustace’s Bennett would kick to Colten Hinton who would take the kick to the Edgewood 34-yard line.

Rogers took the inside hand-off for 11 yards, Ethan Rutter would connect with McBride for 11 yards, then with Hinton for no gain, followed by a dropped pass and an 8-yard completion to Hinton again.

Another 8-yard completion to Clay Haltom was followed by a quick slant pass to Haltom for 28 yards for the opening drive score.

Mario Bustillos added the PAT and Edgewood led 7-0 with 10:17 to go in the first. Rutter was picking up where he left off last week at Canton with a 6-for-7 completion pace on the drive and 55 yards and the TD to Haltom.

Bustillos kicked to McCarter and he would return it to the Eustace 14. Eustace picked up where they left off last week with four straight runs with Traven Johnson getting 5 yards, Shawn Baldwin getting 5 and Jo Jo Bradburn getting 14 and the first down at the Eustace 38-yard line.

Baldwin was stopped on a carry for no yardage and that was when the lightning struck close enough to the stadium to force players off the field.

Officials waited more than two hours before the administrators of both schools agreed that they should postpone the game.