Published: August 29, 2008 01:29 am            

Wildcats hold off talented Bulldogs

ADDISON — Who needs a passing game, anyway?

Heading into Thursday’s season opener against Fultondale, Addison coach Randy White wanted the Bulldogs to force the visiting Wildcats out of their run-first offense.

They’re still waiting.

Fultondale racked up 540 yards of offense — all on the ground — and kept the ball out of Addison’s hands for much of the game as the Wildcats ran out 32-18 winners Thursday night at A.G. Hicks Stadium.

“Their running game was tough. We just couldn’t stop it,” said White, whose Addison teams also dropped season openers in 2005 and 2007. “With their size, some of our kids just hadn’t seen anything like that before.”

Fultondale had three running backs break the 100-yard mark and finished with 24 first downs. Junior Jonathan Craig led the way with 176 yards and two touchdowns, Chris Barber gained 135 and Chris Hardaway added 135 yards and one score.

“We were just shell-shocked in the first half,” said White.

After Addison went three and out to begin the game, the Wildcats opened the scoring on their first drive — getting a 2-yard touchdown from Craig with 4:42 left in the first.

Craig put the visitors up 13-0 with another touchdown run — this time from 76 yards out — with 10:54 in the second.

Down two scores early, Addison turned to the passing game — with good results.

Two plays after Fultondale scored, Bulldogs quarterback Jordin Rivers found running back Blake Robinson alone on the sideline for a 58-yard touchdown, cutting the lead to 13-6. The kick failed.

But that was as close as the hosts would get. On its next possession, Fultondale capped a four-minute drive on Dezmond Clopton’s one-yard touchdown run.

After another Wildcats touchdown to open the second half, Rivers and Robinson hooked up again — this time for a 50-yard touchdown pass to pull the hosts within 13. Rivers’ two-point pass was broken up at the goal line.

“We really didn’t have it in the gameplan,” White said of Addison’s two long passing touchdowns. “But we were taking what they gave us. We really didn’t have the ball that much in the second half.”

Robinson was as surprised as anyone.

“The coaches just said they wanted a go route,” said Robinson, who finished with three receptions for 127 yards and two touchdowns. “The defense all shot up and they didn’t have a safety back there, so I just shot by them.”

Fultondale restored its 20-point lead when offensive lineman Christian McCullough recovered a Barber fumble in the end zone late in the third quarter.

Rivers collected his third touchdown with 10:05 left in the fourth on a 33-yard pass to Allen Oliver. He finished 9-for-23 with 197 yards and three scores.

The Bulldogs had 246 total yards and finished with just eight first downs.

“We lost the opening game in ’05 and last year, but we came back and had good seasons then,” said White. “And we can this year too.”

        

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