By Jeff Devine, The Chronicle
The Dale County Warriors saw their three-game winning streak come to an end Friday night, falling 43-20 to the Andalusia Bulldogs in a Class 4A Region 2 matchup in Andalusia. The Bulldogs were certainly unleashed last night as they built up momentum quickly.
Dale County struck first, taking a 7-0 lead with 8:03 remaining in the opening quarter. The lead, however, was short-lived, as Andalusia answered less than a minute later to tie the game at 7-7.
The Bulldogs added another touchdown before the end of the first quarter to take a 14-7 advantage into the second period.
Dale County’s defense kept the Warriors within striking distance early in the second quarter, blocking an Andalusia field-goal attempt. The Bulldogs continued to add to their lead, however, scoring with 7:30 remaining in the half to make it 22-7.
Andalusia extended the advantage again with 3:20 left before halftime, sending the Bulldogs into the locker room with a 27-7 lead.
The Bulldogs continued to control the game after halftime, adding another touchdown with 11:30 remaining in the third quarter to push the margin to 33-7.
Andalusia added another score with 59 seconds left in the third, making it 36-7 heading into the fourth quarter.
Dale County battled back in the final period, scoring twice to bring the final margin to 43-20, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome.
The loss drops the Warriors to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in Region 2. Dale County had entered Friday’s game with a 5-1 record after defeating Headland, Straughn, Eufaula, and Ariton, while also opening the season with a victory over Houston Academy. The Warriors’ only previous loss came against Headland.
The Bulldogs also improve to 5-2 overall and remain unbeaten in region play. Andalusia had previously defeated Robertsdale, Straughn, Carroll, and Headland in region competition, while its two losses came against Wetumpka and Enterprise.
The matchup also marked an important Region 2 contest between two teams that entered the night with identical 4-1 overall records according to pregame listings. Dale County had been averaging 28 points per game entering the matchup, while Andalusia was averaging 28.2.
For Dale County, Friday’s game marked the first loss since the Warriors fell 7-6 to Headland on Sept. 4. The Warriors had responded to that setback with three consecutive victories, including a 41-14 win over Straughn, a 10-7 victory at Eufaula, and last week’s dramatic 23-21 win at Ariton.
Dale County will look to rebound next week as Region 2 play continues.and they take on the New Brockton Gamecocks on Friday, October 9.