WHARTON — Maybe the playoffs will be easier for the Sweeny Bulldogs.
For the second time in as many weeks, the Bulldogs had a game go down to wire. This time they hung on to beat the Wharton Tigers 21-19 Friday night in the District 26-3A finale for both teams.
With the win, the Bulldogs (8-2, 5-0) clinched the outright 26-3A title for the second straight season. They have gone 10-0 in district the last two seasons.
They will play La Grange next week in the first round of the Class 3A Division II playoffs.
“I’m already old. They are making me older,” Sweeny coach Tommy Zajicek said.
Last week, they had to hang on to beat Brookshire Royal with a defensive stand. They had to do the same against Wharton.
After getting within two with 2:23 left in the game, Wharton recovered a Sweeny fumble at the Bulldog 42 with 2:02 left.
Wharton was inside the Sweeny 20, when Tre’ Lemon intercepted a Wharton pass to end the threat.
“The thing we have to keep remembering is the kids keep making the plays to win the game,” Zajicek said.
He just wishes it was a little less exciting.
Clinging to a 14-12 lead, the Bulldogs put together a 61-yard drive to give them some breathing room in the fourth quarter.
After a penalty and a loss on a first and goal at the Wharton 8, Justin Johnson caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Lemon to cap the drive with 6:34 left in the game.
Wharton tightened things up again with 2:23 left in game when quarterback Andrew Cruz snuck in from 2 yards out to cap a short 37-yard drive that came after a good kickoff return and a personal foul penalty.
The Bulldogs took the lead with 3:05 left in the first quarter when senior running back Jamell Woodard scored on an 11-yard run to cap an 87-yard drive.
The long drive was helped along by two 15-yard personal foul penalties and a sideline violation penalty that accounted for 40 yards on the drive.
Wharton held onto the ball for almost 7 minutes in the second quarter, only to turn the ball over on downs at the Sweeny 32.
A mishandled pitch by Woodard one play later that was recovered by Wharton’s Ken Lowery gave the ball back to the Tigers at the Bulldog 28.
Four plays later, Deshavian Williams scored on a 3-yard run to get Wharton to within a point with 4:15 left in the half. The extra-point kick was missed, leaving the Bulldogs with a 7-6 lead.
On Sweeny’s next possession, the Bulldogs took only five plays to get in the end zone when Woodard caught a screen pass from quarterback Lemon and galloped into the end zone 63 yards later with 1:52 left in the second quarter to help the Bulldogs to a 14-6 lead at the half. The play completed an 81-yard drive.
Wharton got close with 3:48 left in the third quarter when Nathaniel Wilson finished off a 71-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. The Sweeny defense stuffed a two-point conversion run by Wilson to leave the Bulldogs up 14-12.
Rushing: (S) Jamell Woodard 15-69; (W) Nathaniel Wilson 20-76.
Passing: (S)Tre’ Lemon 5-8-0, 116 yards, two touchdowns. (W) Andrew Cruz 6-16-1, 57 yards.
Receiving: (S) Justin Johnson 2-37; Jamell Woodard 1-63; (W) Ken Lowery 3-20