PREP FOOTBALL: Cullman in must-win territory after 33-13 loss to Decatur

Published 12:43 am Saturday, October 18, 2014

Cullman coach Mark Britton paused and appeared to be searching for the right way to describe the Decatur defense.

Then he nailed it.

“They were just swarming to the football,” he said.

The Red Raiders defense stymied the Bearcats for much of Friday night’s Class 6A, Region 8 game and sent Cullman to a 33-13 loss.

Britton didn’t say much about his team’s effort at Oliver Woodard Stadium. He didn’t have to — the numbers spoke for themselves.

Cullman was limited to just 31 yards of offense in the first half, going three-and-out on each possession and not picking up a first down until the third quarter.

For the game, Cullman (4-4, 2-3) gained 245 yard of offense — 73 of which was on its final play when quarterback Ross Crocker found Seth Donaldson behind the Red Raider defense for a touchdown.

“Their defense was outstanding tonight,” Britton said. “We just couldn’t get a lot of things going. Didn’t really move the chains any until a little bit into the third quarter. That was the difference in the game.”

Decatur (6-2, 4-1) ended the night with 402 yards of offense, including 314 on the ground. That number is a little misleading, though, as a quarterback sneak by Griffin McCullom with less than a minute remaining in the game led to a 79-yard touchdown sprint.

The Bearcat defense certainly had its highlights. Justin Patterson was in on three sacks and multiple quarterback hurries, while Blake Purifoy, Zach Glenn and Connor Moon — among others — made several plays.

Despite a solid effort in the first half by the Black and Gold’s defensive unit, the Cullman offense was M.I.A. over the same span. Special teams breakdowns also helped get the Red Raiders out to a 13-0 first-quarter lead.

After a 14-yard punt on the Bearcats’ first possession, Decatur reached inside the Cullman red zone before a penalty and a sack by Patterson forced a field goal attempt by Fransisco Tirado. The senior calmly booted the 42-yarder — his first of three to split the uprights in the first half and four for the game.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Bearcats let an onside attempt roll in the middle of the field, and Decatur scooped up the loose ball to start its second scoring drive. It was Tirado again after the Cullman defense stiffened at the 18-yard line, as he knocked through a 35-yard attempt to give the Red Raiders a 6-0 edge.

Another Bearcat special teams miscue led to the first half’s only touchdown. With the Red Raiders lined up to punt, upback Ke’Montae Hayes took the direct snap and ran 54 yards to the Cullman 7-yard line. Two plays later, Terry Green found the end zone around the left edge.

An interception by Cullman’s Glenn near the goal line thwarted a Decatur drive, but minutes later, the Red Raiders found themselves at the 5-yard line, where Tirado made a chip-shot field goal for a 16-0 halftime lead.

Cullman, though, tried to build some momentum early in the second half. After holding Decatur to three-and-out on its first possession of the third quarter, the Bearcats took over at the Red Raiders 43. They picked up their initial first down at the 9:20 mark on Will Crenshaw’s 13-yard run and reached the Decatur 18 on his 12-yard scamper. Three plays later, Crocker found paydirt from the 1-yard line.

Any momentum was lost on Decatur’s next drive. It resulted in a 29-yard field goal by Tirado, but both Cullman and Decatur were flagged several times for personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct that really slowed down the game. From there, Cullman fumbled and had a 20-play drive that resulted in no points.

In between, McCollum found Scott Littrell to push the Red Raiders’ margin to 26-6.

That led to both teams trading meaningless touchdowns in the final minute.

Crenshaw led all rushers with 84 yards on 16 carries. Crocker finished the night 6 of 14, including 5 of 6 in the second half, for 126 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Seven Red Raiders got carries during the game, with McCollum leading the way with 74 yards and Littrell gaining 71.

Cullman will head to Muscle Shoals next week for a must-win game.