Thirty years ago, Spur Superintendent Craig Hamilton stepped onto the field with his fellow Bulldogs to take on the Baird Bears in the 1989 playoffs. The Bulldogs triumphed with a hard-fought victory of 7-3.
On Thursday night Spur took the field with Hamilton’s son, freshman Corey Hamilton, facing off against the Bears.
This is Baird’s first year in six-man football, as they have stepped down from 11-man.
The Bears won the coin toss to start the game but chose to defer until the second half.
The Bulldogs received the kick and began play on their 38-yard line. On a running play, the ball came loose, and the Bears recovered. Baird moved the ball and ran it in for a touchdown, with 9:34 left in the first quarter, and converted the extra points for a score of 8-0.
On the kickoff, Spur returned the ball to the 37-yard line and marched right back to pay dirt and scored a TD with 8:53 left in the first quarter, but no extra points. The score stood at 8-6.
On their kickoff reception, the Bears broke through the Bulldog line and scored another touchdown with 8:40 left in the first quarter, but got no extra points, making the score 14-6.
After the kickoff ,Spur began play at the 33-yard line. On a run by Spur, the Bulldogs turned the ball over again with a fumble that was recovered by the Bears. However, this time the Bulldog defense held. The Bears were unable to move the ball, as Beau Martinez and Corey Hamilton stood firm. On 4th and 29, the Bears attempted to pass, but the throw was broken up by the Bulldogs, and the ball went over on downs.
The Bulldogs then scored as Francisco Hernandez got the ball to Le’Zhane Walker with 1:52 left in the first quarter. With no extra points, Spur was within two of Baird at 14-12. The Bears took the kickoff and moved the ball down the field. On a pass as time ran out in the first quarter, the Bears scored, with no extra point, to make it 20-12.
With 9:49 left in the second quarter, the Bulldogs took advantage of a Bears kickoff, as Hernandez and Walker ran the ball down the field, and ultimately, in for a touchdown with no extra point, tying the game at 20-20.
The Bears fumbled the reception on the kickoff, and it was recovered by Hernandez. The Bulldogs made an opportunity as Hernandez pitched the ball to Walker, and Martinez wiped out a Bear and opened the field for a touchdown with 9:17 left in the second quarter. The extra point was good, and Spur pulled ahead 28-20.
The Bears received the ball on a kickoff, but the Bulldogs stood their ground, and the ball was turned over on downs. Spur moved the ball and scored a TD, with 6:11 left in the second quarter, and gained the extra point for a score of 36-20.
Baird received the kickoff and attempted to move the ball down the field, but the Bulldogs continued to dominate on defense, and the ball went over on downs. The Bulldog offensive line dominated the Bears, and Walker danced into the end zone with 3:55 left in the second quarter, moving the score to 44-20.
Baird came back. The Bears advanced the ball and scored with 1:08 left in the second quarter, with the extra point, to make it 44-28. Then time ran out on the Bulldogs in the second quarter.
As the third quarter started, Baird attempted to move their offense but fumbled the ball, and Spur’s Zage Barron recovered. The Bulldogs scored on a pass from Gunnir Bateman to Walker, who caught the ball with a wide-open field of play and then ran it in with 9:04 left in the third quarter, making it 50-28.
Neither team would score again until 0:42 was left in the third quarter. Baird intercepted a Spur pass and ran it back for a touchdown, making the game 50-34. But Spur came right back with one more score in the third, when Hernandez pitched the ball to Hamilton for a TD to end the quarter at 58-34.
Baird scored next by running the ball in for a touchdown with 5:32 left in the fourth quarter for a score of 58-42. Spur answered with a pass from Hernandez to Bateman, who had an open field and ran it in for a touchdown with 4:23 left in the 4th, making it 66-42.
The Bulldogs continued to grow the score as Bateman got the ball to Walker, who ran it in for another touchdown with 2:58 left in the 4th, making the score 74-42. The Bears roared back and scored a touchdown on a dive play with 1:35 left in the 4th quarter, bringing he score to 74-48.
But the Bulldogs were not done. Bateman got the ball to Hamilton with 1:23 left in the game. Spur scored again and got the extra point, for a score of 82-48. The Bears attempted to make it as close as they could and completed a pass at the buzzer for a touchdown, but no extra point, to end the game with a score of 82-54.
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