By Jennifer Ulbrich

WORTHAM – Blooming Grove coughed up the ball seven times, giving away two turnovers, in a 24-22 loss to Wortham on the road.

“We made too many mistakes and too many turnovers,” Blooming Grove head coach Scott Doring said. “We can’t make that many mistakes and expect to win. Turnovers and mistakes were the biggest difference in the game, and Wortham did a good job of keeping the ball from us.”

Down by two points at the beginning of the fourth quarter after a 9-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion from Wortham's Jake Jones, the Lions (0-1) applied defensive pressure and came up with a stop on Chris Perez with the Bulldogs (1-0) just one yard shy of a first down. The ball turned over on downs to Blooming Grove, but a fumble after a completed pass from Justin Brown to Matt Bayer on the 15-yard line with 7:49 left on the clock gave possession right back to Wortham.

Perez took the ball a yard before Jones broke free for a 45-yard run that was called back due to a holding penalty on the Bulldogs. A face mask penalty against Blooming Grove on the next play gave Wortham a first down, but after two failed attempts at a first down and a sack on quarterback Brandon Lansford by Blooming Grove’s Jake Wasinger, the Bulldogs were forced to punt.

But Jones, who finished the game with 140 yards on 26 carries, had a trick up his sleeve.

Jones faked the punt and took the ball upfield for a 16-yard gain and the first down.

“Jake Jones is some kind of player,” Doring said. “That kid has a lot of heart.”

Wortham was unable to convert a score, and Blooming Grove tried its hand with its two-minute offense. An incomplete pass was quickly followed by a 30-yard gain by Landon Mcgraw off a pass from Justin Brown. A quick pass to Jordan Tennell picked up a yard before Trey Davis ran 21 yards for a first down. The Lions threw two consecutive incomplete passes and were facing a third-and-10 situation when Davis powered his way up the middle, but came up short on yardage for the first down to end Blooming Grove’s chances of a comeback.

“We fought back and never gave up, and we played to the end,” Doring said. “We just couldn’t hold on to the football. We have to take care of the football and eliminate penalties and mistakes.”

The Difference: The Running Game. Wortham was able to control the clock by rushing for 306 yards to only 95 yards by Blooming Grove.

Game Notes: Wortham avenges a 43-14 opening loss to Blooming Grove from last year as well as beginning the Jerry Young Era at 1-0. Wortham controlled the clock for a vast majority of the second half which helped secure the victory. Wortham’s wefense was very aggressive and was able to recover three fumbles and also create a safety which turned out to be the difference in the score. The 24 points scored by Wortham is two points less than the largest point total scored in a game from last season. There was several incidents of cramping and minor injuries towards the end of the game, however no serious incidents.

Stat of the Game: 1, the total amount of passes attempted by Wortham in the entire game.

Records: Wortham 1-0, Blooming Grove 0-1.

They said it: “The kids worked hard. They’ve bought into the system and played with heart. They deserve all the glory.” Wortham’s Head Coach Jerry Young.

---Terry McLennan

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Wortham 24, Blooming Grove 22

Blooming Grove 8 7 7 0 -- 22

Wortham 8 6 2 8 -- 24

First Quarter

W --Jake Jones 55 punt return (Jones run), :24

BG -- Jordan Tenell 2 run (Trey Davis run), :00

Second Quarter

BG -- Matt Bayer 21 fumble return (Josh Ferrer kick), 10:37

W -- Brandon Lunsford 2 run (run failed), 4:28

Third Quarter

BG -- Bayer 7 pass from Justin Brown (Ferrer kick), 8:42

W -- Safety, Brown sacked in end zone by Manten Capers, 2:22

Fourth Quarter

W -- Jones 9 run (Jones run), 11:23

BG W

First downs 12 18

Rush-yards 20-116 59-289

Passing yards 144 0

C-A-I 11-17-0 0-1-0

Fumbles-lost 7-2 6-2

Punts-avg. 2-32.5 2-36.0

Penalties-yards 7-70 8-52

Individual

Rushing -- BG: Trey Davis 11-71, Jordan Tennell 4-39, Matt Bayer 1-21, Jake Wasinger 1-0, Justin Brown 3-(-15). W: Jake Jones 26-140, Cameron Price 20-103, Manten Capers 4-41, Bailey Hogan 2-6, Chris Perez 4-5, Brandon Lansford 3-(-6).

Passing -- BG: Justin Brown 11-17-0-144. W: Brandon Lansford 0-1-0-0.

Receiving -- BG: Landon Mcgraw 6-104, Jordan Tennell 3-14, Matt Bayer 2-26. W: none.

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