Sometimes mishaps go your way.
On the opening kickoff Friday night, Bay Springs recovered the football 11 yards downfield on a poor kick meant to go further than it did.
Then again, sometimes mishaps don’t go your way.
Four fumbles - two on offense and two on special teams - led to the Bulldogs' demise in the opening quarter.
Despite a defensive shut out of Region 5-2A foe Enterprise in the second half, Bay Springs fell to the Bulldogs from Clarke County, 18-6.
"We were not ready to play offensively tonight, and that's on me," said Bay Springs head coach Dan Brady. "We turned the ball over too many times. We had some stuff that I thought would work and do good for us, but we didn't make the plays when we needed to make the plays.
"We've got some good players making plays for us, but until we do it as a whole, we're not going to be very good.
Heavy rain and lightning paused play for 50 minutes in the second quarter. Enterprise led 18-0 with 7:43 to play in the half before weather halted play. The Bulldogs capitalized on two Bay Springs’ fumbles with offensive scores of 67 and eight yards.
Moments before quick flashes of lightning and loud thunder, Enterprise scored on a five-yard run to lead 18-0. Two-point conversions were attempted after all three scores but fell short.
Bay Springs fumbled a total of five times, once in the red zone, and turned the ball over on downs once, also in the red zone.
"Offensively, we didn't play how we needed to play," said Brady. "It's my fault, and I'll wear that. I'm going to challenge myself and our kids. We have great kids out there. They just didn't execute."
Solo Score:
Ty Jones ran in from two yards out with 2:18 left in the third quarter for Bay Springs only score. The two-point conversion was no good.
“I was proud of our sophomores,” Brady said. “Ty Jones, Jamare Holiday, and others, they made plays. That’s what they did.”
Second Half Shutout:
Brady praised his defensive coaches on their game-plan, especially in the second half.
"Defensively, our game plan was about as best as I've seen from our defensive coaches - Coach Justice, Coach Young, and Coach Satcher," said Brady. "That was a good football team we played. They are a South State Championship caliber team. They gave Taylorsville everything they wanted last week.
“Our defensive guys never quit. They dug their heels in the ground and played hard. I’m proud of them.
What’s Next:
Bay Springs (2-4) will host 5A Laurel next Friday night in a non-region contest.
Despite the loss, Bay Springs will enter the Class 2A playoffs as a fourth seed.
“I always like to tell the story of Greene County in 2003,” said Brady. “They got into the playoffs at 6-4 and won five in a row to win the state championship. It doesn’t matter how you get in there. It matters what you do when you get in there.
"Whoever we get. Whoever is the one seed that we get, better be ready."
