Until :46 seconds remained in the first half, it was yet a close game. At that point Quitman led Winona 20-7.

When Luke Williams carried the ball over the goal to make it 26-7 and added the 2-point conversion, Quitman was on their way to a celebration. 

The Bulldogs ended their 2023 campaign with a 58-21 thumping of the Winona Wildcats at Bud Moody Stadium Friday. 

It was a celebration. The Bulldogs out-hustled and out-competed the Wildcats, savoring each snap as if it were the opening game of the year.

In addition to recording a dominant win, the 19 Bulldog seniors gave fans and younger teammates a prime example of what the program meant.

Two senior plays stand out. 

The first came on the Wildcats’ initial possession of the second half. On a fourth-and-6 from mid-field, Winona attempted a middle screen. The defensive line surge hurried the Wildcat quarterback and he floated the ball toward the waiting back. Defensive lineman Braxton Birchfield reacted quickly, cradled the pass into his chest, and rampaged 50 yards to score.  

Fellow senior Jace Peek added the two points and Quitman communicated the message that there would be no comeback.

The second senior play came as the Bulldogs were simply grinding the clock away. At this stage of the game, Quitman’s inside running game was gashing the Wildcats. Senior defensive end Devin Robertson was inserted to carry the ball. 

He ripped off a 15-yard carry to just short of the goal line. On the next play he scored over left tackle. Robertson’s score generated the loudest cheers of the night from the large, hometown crowd.

Winona did not go quietly. They scored twice in the second half to keep things interesting. Both scores came as the Wildcats used their speed around the edge to break off long runs. 

A 67-yard scoring run was followed by a 58-yard scamper which set up a second touchdown. On that specific play, Bulldog Carter Smith ran down the Wildcat running back shy of the goal. His effort exemplified Quitman’s energy throughout the game.  

The Bulldogs answered those two scores to maintain a 21-point margin. Quarterback Kameron Crockett capped a 52-yard drive by hitting Mikey Pickering with a nicely-timed out-route for a score. 

On the next possession, Crockett teamed up with Klayton Meadows on a slant-route score from 15 yards.   

As the season came to a close, the general sense at Bud Moody Stadium was one of satisfaction at the work that had been done and expectation of the seasons to follow.