The Cedartown Bulldogs have reason to celebrate.

First, they finished October with a perfect run starting with Heard County and closing out with Ridgeland. The latest victim of the Bulldogs offense was a Panthers team that struggled to keep up in the first half, and were able to score in the second but their time on the field was cut short by a running clock and a 56-12 final score.

Cedartown’s mix of offensive threats – CJ Washington, Harlem Diamond, Jayden Johnson, quarterback Reece Tanner and so many more contributors (I could list half the team tonight – KtE) – all came together in harmony once again in a blowout first half that saw the Bulldogs take a 36-0 run and nab three fumbles, all before halftime.

The Bulldogs put up 382 yards of total offense – almost all of it on the ground (362) – and 23 first downs in their trip to Happy Valley in Ridgeland on Friday night. The Panthers managed to put up 253 before the game was finished, but not nearly enough in the second half to make up for the ground they lost in the first.

Also of note: the Bulldogs only had 20 yards in penalties for the entire night.

The win puts Cedartown in the driver’s seat in 7-AAAA with just two games left in the regular season: Central Carroll on November 13, and Heritage Catoosa on November 20. They stand at 3-0 in region play, and 5-2 overall heading into the final weeks of the regular season with a break on November 6.

Key Takeaways

With the combined forces available for Cedartown’s ground game this year, I expect the Bulldogs will only pass when they must, or when they are trying some sort of new air attack when up big over an opponent and giving Reece Tanner some additional time to develop. Expect the next two games to be played like the last four: find holes in the opposing team’s defense and exploit them.

CJ Washington is a force to be reckoned with. Just as tough on defense as he is on offense. See the clip below as an additional one-off highlight on the night:

The losses to Rockmart (who has taken over 6-AAA ever more effectively each week) and Calhoun (now playing with the likes of Cartersville and Blessed Trinity) by such close margins make much more sense when comparing them to teams they’ve played the rest of the way through the year. Early tough tests might have hurt fans feelings, but the wins they produce for the rest of the season make up for them (especially in the region.)

Check back late on November 13/14 for highlights from the upcoming matchup with Central Carroll.