There were no postgame celebrations. Just handshakes and somber faces as the players made their way off the field.

Cullman High had just defeated Wenonah 21-6 in the opening round of the Class 5A playoffs, but the postgame vibe felt more like a Bearcats loss.

That may be because the players weren’t pleased with this underwhelming performance.

For the first time this season, top-ranked Cullman (11-0) was held scoreless in the opening half. Wenonah (6-4) carried a 6-0 lead into halftime.

“Wenonah has a good football team with good team speed,” Bearcats coach Mark Britton said. “And we didn’t adjust to that speed as quickly as we would’ve liked. We tried to tell the kids all week, this is about the same team we played last year … that this is a veteran squad.”

When Cullman played Wenonah in the first round of the playoffs last season, the Bearcats dominated the Dragons in every phase of the game on their way to a 48-13 win.

Neither team dominated anything in this bout. It was a slugfest until the very end.

The difference for Cullman? Defense and special teams.

Cullman’s defense forced two turnovers, with Matthew Britton and Drew Forrest both intercepting Dragons quarterback Brandon Allen. The Bearcats also got a special teams turnover when Riley Stewart recovered a fumble on a punt.

The kicking game was also a strong point for Cullman. Cooper Nyquist finished with three touchbacks on four kickoffs, and Connor Adams pinned the Dragons on their on 1-yard line with a punt late in the fourth quarter.

Wenonah can’t say the same about special teams. The Dragons punted five times and finished with an average that was less than 20 yards.

“Our kids work hard on special teams,” Britton said. “Defensively, there were a lot of times we played pretty good. I know they were getting some first downs, but we didn’t give up the big play.”

After getting shut out in the first half, Cullman came back and scored 21 unanswered points after the break.

After getting a defensive stop on the first series of the second half, a botched Wenonah punt gave Cullman the ball with a short field.

Three plays later, junior quarterback Dylan Skipper completed an 18-yard pass to Drew Forrest to give Cullman the ball on the 1-yard line. Adams punched into the end zone on the next play, and Nyquist’s extra point gave the Bearcats’ a 7-6 lead.

Cullman took a two-score lead late in the third quarter when Skipper threw a 24-yard touchdown to Forrest.

Adams scored on a 24-yard run with less than a minute remaining in the game for Cullman’s final touchdown.

“It was really frustrating going in 6-0 at halftime,” Britton said. “I thought our kids really regrouped, really showed what they’re made of. They dug down when things were a little bit tough.”

Cullman held Wenonah to just 211 yards of total offense. The Dragons rushed for 106 — with most coming in the first half — while Allen finished with 105 yards on 11-for-26 passing.

Allen threw a pair of interceptions, but also had a 9-yard touchdown pass to Cortni Horn late in the second quarter.

Skipper had one of his worst performances of the season. He finished with 192 yards on 13-for-27 passing. The junior also threw an interception — only his third of the year.

Forrest led Cullman offensively, catching seven passes for 139 yards and a touchdown. Adams rushed for 74 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries.

Cullman will host Fairfield in the second round of the playoffs next week. The Tigers eliminated Springville 13-12 in the opening round Friday night.

Justin Graves can be reached by phone at 734-2131, ext. 257 or by e-mail at jgraves@cullmantimes.com.