Zumwalt South Survives Knights' Late Charge

The defense made sure wouldn't have a chance for late-game magic two weeks in a row.

Last Friday against Fort Zumwalt East, Howell North put together a late fury of points to pull off a . The Knights tried to repeat the formula, but the Bulldogs' defense stood tall and helped secure a 21-7 win.

"The key was our defense stepping up," Zumwalt South head coach Scott Fulton said. "We had a couple of turnovers and the defense stepped up nice and fought hard. That last stand right there—we knew Howell North wouldn't quit because we saw them last week. We had to rise up and stop them, or they were going to get down and maybe pull out another victory."

Zumwat South (3-1, 2-1) was in control for the entire first half of the contest, starting with the first possession. After kicking to Howell North, the Bulldogs forced a three-and-out.

Of course the Bulldogs' offense went three and done on its first possession, but eventually the black and red got on track. With 5:59 left in the first quarter, Zumwalt South took over from its own 25 just as the rain was beginning to fall on Jack Ball Stadium.

The Bulldogs took the ball and marched down the field—with a little assistance from a pass interference penalty that moved the offense well into Howell North territory. 

Zumwalt South kept pounding the ball until finally, with 2:12 left in the quarter, junior Chase Abbington punched in a score from three yards out. A successful point after put Zumwalt South up 7-0.

Howell North (1-3, 0-2) tried to match the Bulldogs, but the Knights drive stalled out at midfield. Facing a fourth and four from the South 42-yard line, the Knights elected to eschew the punt and go for the first down.

The strategy backfired.

The Bulldogs broke loose and sacked quarterback Justin Hayden for a loss and a turnover on downs. 

On the ensuing drive, Zumwalt South extended its lead. Quarterback Brett Simon fired a pass from 19 yards out that only one person could catch—wideout Gerrion Grim. The 6-foot-1 senior hauled down a pass over a smothering North defender and fell onto the pylon in the right corner of the endzone for a score and a 14-0 Bulldogs' lead. 

Simon and Grim hooked up again to help the Bulldogs add on the lead. Following an interception by Justin Smith with 4:05 left in the half, Zumwalt South moved down the field in an effort to build a bigger lead before the break. Simon found Grim on a 23-yard pass—a similar play as his touchdown catch only this time the play went left and he was stopped two yards shy of paydirt.

Abbington was able to punch the ball in from two yards out for his second score of the game and Zumwalt South had a 21-0 lead at the half. 

The Bulldogs' first half dominance disappeared in the second half. Howell North used all the time allotted in the locker room with a new game plan.

"We saw something that we liked in one of our formations, and I think we did a good job of exploiting that," Howell North head coach John Brune said. "It got us back in the game. Defensively, we just stepped up."

The tides turned with 5:36 left in the third quarter. The Knights forced a fumble deep in its own territory and suddenly had new life. The Knights strolled down the field and with 11:04 left in the game, Trevor Givans scored a 3-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 21-7. 

The Knights' defense again forced a fumble on the ensuing possession and the Howell North sideline had life. The Knights started at the South 37-yard line and marched toward the endzone. Howell North got to within one yard of the endzone, but then problems arose. Penalties and a stout defense stymied the Knights. Francis Howell North once had first-and-goal from the one but was facing fourth-and-goal from the 24-yard line. A bad pass turned the ball over and Zumwalt South was able to pull out the win.

"The defense just a drew a line in the sand," Fulton said. "They just said, 'We're not going to give up anymore.'"

The win gives the Bulldogs three on the season. Since 2008, the three Bulldogs teams have combined for two wins.

"It's huge," Fulton said. "We went through three years of only winning two games. ... Any time you win when you're building things, it's awesome."

Zumwalt South will head to Warrenton next Friday night. The Howell North Knights will host Oakville. Both games start at 7 p.m.