Quitman used a pair of field goals by a freshman kicker and 14 fourth-quarter points to subdue Lone Oak 27-13 and give the Bulldogs an avenue to a playoff spot for the first time in more than a decade. 

Freshman kicker and stellar defensive back Bradie Fortner booted first-half field goals of 22 and 23 yards to help the Bulldogs to a 13-7 halftime lead. The Bulldog running game took over in the second half to keep the ball away from Lone Oak and record the win. 

“I’m proud of the special teams and the Fortner field goals really helped out in the first half. Once again our offensive and defensive lines did a great job for us the entire game,” head coach Shane Webber said.  

The Bulldogs controlled the clock for most of the contest, running 65 plays to just 37 for Lone Oak. The Buffaloes had only eight plays in the first half. 

The Quitman offense had 323 rushing yards while using six running backs. Brandon Samaniego was a leader on defense and also had his best offensive game of the year with 101 yards on 11 carries, averaging more than 9 yards per carry. 

For Quitman, freshman Jayson Wakefield had 76 yards on 15 carries, senior Ben Boisclair carried 14 times for 67 yards and junior Colsten Smith added 50 yards on 10 carries. The Bulldog running game averaged more than 5 yards per carry in the contest. 

After taking a 13-7 lead at the half, the Bulldogs gave up an early third-quarter score, but Lone Oak was unable to make the extra point, leaving it a 13-13 game heading into the final quarter. 

Quitman's dominant running game took over in the second half as the Bulldogs scored on short runs. Samaniego had two touchdown runs, and Boisclair added another on the ground. Fortner added extra points following each score. The freshman was 5-for-5 on his kicks in the game, giving the Bulldogs another threat to score. 

Webber was pleased with his team. 

“No doubt this win over Lone Oak is big for us for many reasons. After the loss last week to Prairieland, the kids could have just shut down, but this week they showed the heart of a champion. The win keeps alive our playoff hopes and that last touchdown we scored will have a huge impact on the outcome of the playoff scenario,” Webber said. “I am so proud of our kids for their resilience and determination to get on this spot. As for this game, I have to give credit to my coaches for a great game plan offensively and defensively. Our kids came out and executed on both sides of the ball. I want to give a big shout out to the offensive and defensive lines for their great work in the trenches allowing our backs to run free and our linebackers and secondary to take care of their assignments. It was a great Senior Night for our guys.” 

Webber also gave credit to Lone Oak. 

“Lone Oak and Coach Turner (Logan) do a really good job over there with their athletes. But you can see the growth in our kids on the way we played them this year compared to last year,” Webber said.  

Senior Boisclair was proud of his team. 

“We started off good. We practiced hard all week and we were fundamentally sound for Lone Oak,” Boisclair said. “We must be ready for Chisum. We must do our job, they have a pretty good defensive front.” 

Senior Jonathan Hayes said the offense played well. 

“We were able to move the ball up and down the field. Our offensive line did a great job moving the ball,” Hayes said. 

Talking of playoff possibilities, defensive coordinator Scooter Fortner feels good about Quitman's chances. 

“The first thing is not to take Chisum lightly. They are only 1-8 but have played some really close games in district. We must beat Chisum or nothing else really matters. We have got to get in before we start worrying about who we might play in the playoffs,” Fortner said. 

Webber is cautious but confident going into the Chisum game. 

“We have to be better on road games and we have to treat this like a playoff game because their coaching staff does a great job in game preparation. Coach Milsap will have his kids ready and they would love to play spoiler for our playoff hopes. It will be their Senior Night so I know their kids and fans will be fired up. We have to go into the game with the mindset to be dominant on offense and defense,” Webber said. 

Chisum's one win was a 34-31 victory over Harmony on Oct. 2. 

Grand Saline has already secured the district's top playoff seed. The Indians are ranked in the state's top 10 and remain undefeated. Edgewood will finish either second or third, depending on its game against Lone Oak. Prairiland will face winless Harmony this week, and the Bulldogs take on one-win Chisum. 

If the Bulldogs win at Chisum, they will likely face Bells or Howe in bi-district action next week. 

Kickoff at Chisum's Mustang Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m.