DORA—The field was muddy and the ball was slick, but fifth-ranked Mortimer Jordan (10-1) found just enough traction to escape Horace Roberts Field with a 17-3 first-round playoff win over Dora (5-6) on Friday night.

The game was originally scheduled to be played in Jimmie Trotter Stadium, but poor field conditions called for a change in venue Thursday afternoon. Still, conditions were far from ideal in Dora, as players slipped across the soft surface for much of the night.

The game, in its offensive form, was lost in a marshy mess that once was a football field.

“It was tough sledding on both sides,” said Mortimer Jordan head coach Dusty Goode. “I haven’t heard anyone criticize my decision to move [the game] to Dora, but our field was probably ten times as bad as this is and I believe if we would’ve played on it tonight, that we wouldn’t have been able to play on it the rest of the playoffs.”

Goode mentioned that the wet conditions affected his offense, which finished with 332 yards (230 rushing, 102 passing) to go with three turnovers in the win.

“I think this field kind of equalized things,” he continued. “But Dora’s a classy bunch and they’re in good hands with coach [Bart] Lockhart and their kids played hard.”

Mortimer Jordan lost two fumbles in the mud, one at the Dora 2-yard line in the second quarter with the Blue Devils leading 7-3. The Region 5 champions missed on another red zone opportunity late in the third quarter when quarterback Kourtlan Marsh tossed his fourth interception of the season into the end zone.

Marsh would however redeem himself, with 105 yards rushing and a touchdown on 21 carries. He went 7 for 12 through the air for another 92 yards. His only touchdown—a 2-yard QB keep—gave the visitors a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter.

Dora, the 4-seed out of Region 7, jumped ahead early thanks to a booming 45-yard field goal off the foot of junior Brady Spradlin. The long make gave the Bulldogs a 3-0 advantage at the 8:03 mark of the first frame.

But the yards were few against a staunch Mortimer Jordan defense, which allowed 167 yards of Dora offense. The Blue Devils forced four punts to go with an interception by senior John Forsyth in the fourth quarter.

Special teams also played a factor, as Mortimer Jordan brought pressure on a late-second-quarter punt. Spradlin fielded a low snap deep in his own end zone and was forced to retreat to the back line as a blue rush approached. Mortimer Jordan held a 9-3 halftime advantage.

Goode said he takes pride in his punt-block team.

“We always try to contest punts… so that was the plan and I think the snap was short and the punter had trouble handling the ball. That was key,” said Goode.

The only other score of the game came early in the third when senior Daniel Franklin punctuated a four-play drive with a 5-yard touchdown run up the middle. That drive was sparked by a 47-yard toss from Marsh to Garrison McCleney down to the 5. Franklin charged into the end zone on the next snap.

Mortimer Jordan carries its ten-game winning streak into the second round of the 5A playoffs next Friday when No. 9 East Limestone comes to Jimmie Trotter Stadium.