Bulldogs top Falcons 26-18

By Chad Rhoad
Editor/ The Messenger
Published: October 8, 2008

The Darlington Falcons took on the Marlboro County Bulldogs in prep football action on Friday in the first conference action for both teams. Marlboro County managed to hold on to a victory 26-18.

The Bulldogs are currently 5-1 after the win with their only loss coming to Conway High School.

Despite the loss, Darlington head coach Justin Danner felt the effort was there for the Falcons. “It was a tough one to lose,“ he said. “I thought we came in with a good game plan and the kids executed it well.“

Defensively, Danner said the Falcons were able to slow the performances of some of the Bulldogs’ best players. “I don’t think you can stop those guys,“ he said of Marlboro County’s top players, “but they did well enough to win the ball game.“

Marlboro County was ahead 20-7 at the halfway point, but Darlington outscored the Bulldog’s 11-6 in the second half.

The Bulldogs managed a blocked punt that helped them take the lead in the first half, and Danner feels as if that was a game-changer. “It was big to give up a blocked punt and that proved to be the difference in the game. That was a big momentum swing for those guys.“

Danner also said the offense performed well in the Falcons’ most balanced attack of the season, but the Darlington defense was on the field far too long to pick up the win. “We didn’t get the touches on offense,“ he said. “Defensively, we stayed on the field too long.“

The coach said DJ Woodham played very well on both sides of the ball. He added that Rodney Lighty and Peter Ramirez both helped the team greatly with their performances as well.
Danner said many people were probably surprised that Darlington could play that well against Marlboro County, and he hopes the game will give the team even more confidence in future region contests.

The Falcons record falls to 2-4 on the season and 0-1 in region play. The Falcons will host Lakewood High School on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Falcons’ second region game of the season.