The numbers weren’t pretty.

But thanks to a dominating defensive performance, they didn’t have to be.

In its first-round matchup last week against Wenonah in the Class 5A playoffs, Cullman High’s football team was shut out in the first half and finished with just 273 yards of total offense.

The first-half goose egg was a first, and the 273 yards were a season low. But the Bearcats still escaped with a 21-6 victory over the Dragons.

So what gives?

Well, it wasn’t Cullman’s defense.

“Defensively, there was a lot of times we played pretty good,” Bearcats coach Mark Britton said after the game. “I know they were getting some first downs, but we didn’t give up the big play.”

Britton is right.

Even though Cullman trailed 6-0 at halftime, the Bearcats didn’t allow Wenonah any big plays. The Dragons’ only score came after a long drive.

Wenonah finished with 211 yards of total offense and turned the ball over twice. One of those turnovers was an interception by Cullman receiver Drew Forrest, who also had 139 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions.

Junior defensive back Matthew Britton also intercepted Wenonah quarterback Brandon Allen in the first quarter.

“We needed to step up in the secondary,” said Forrest. “That quarterback really had a canon, and the whole secondary really played good.

“Tyler Brown and Alden (Rakestraw) had a couple big plays throwing it deep and deflecting the ball down. That kind of sparked the defense.”

The Bearcats might need another strong defensive effort tonight when Fairfield (8-3) visits Oliver Woodard Stadium for a second-round game.

The Tigers might not have scored as many points as Cullman this year — 315 to the Bearcats’ 407 — but the team’s defense has been as good as any in 5A.

Fairfield recorded consecutive shutouts against Region 5 rivals Carver-Montgomery and Brookwood and added another late in the season in a non-region game against Dora. The Tigers also held Parker, Woodlawn and Central-Tuscaloosa to seven points or fewer.

In fact, the most points scored by a Fairfield opponent this year came in week one, when 6A Jess Lanier put up 33 on the Tigers.

Since then, points have been hard to come by.

“They’re an extremely good football team,” said Mark Britton. “They have great team speed and a big defensive front, very similar to the one we just faced.”

Fortunately for Britton, Cullman can boast a strong defense, too.

During the regular season, the Bearcats gave up 17.9 points per game, but that number could have been much lower. Cullman’s first-team defense sat out large parts of the second half in several games after the offense grabbed big leads.

That shouldn’t be the case against Fairfield’s defense tonight. According to Mark Britton, Cullman might need a quick start or risk falling behind like it did against Wenonah.

“We’ve got to adjust quicker to their team speed,” he said. “Last week we waited I felt like till the third quarter before we started making some adjustments.

“In the past 10 games, we’ve adjusted fairly early — second series something like that. But we were second half last week.”

The Bearcats will benefit from the return of senior linebacker Warren McGriff, who sat out last week’s game with a mild back injury.

Defensive coordinator Matt Hopper said the players know how important another strong defensive effort might be.

“They know, and we’re pretty healthy,” he said. “Warren McGriff is back, and that will help us a lot.

“The gameplan is good and our kids know it. It’s going to be more about execution than anything.”

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Michael Cummings can be reached by email at michaelc@cullmantimes.com or by phone at 734-2131, ext. 258.