The Quitman Bulldogs went into Friday night’s game as heavy underdogs against district-leading Grand Saline, ranked ninth in the state.

The Indians came away with a 21-7 victory, but the score did not tell the whole story. Quitman held Grand Saline to its lowest point total of the season and matched the Indians hit for hit in a hard-fought district contest.

Grand Saline improved to 8-0 overall and 4-0 in district play, while Quitman dropped to 3-4 on the season and 1-2 in district.

The first half was a defensive battle, with Grand Saline taking a narrow 7-0 lead into halftime. The only score came on a 17-yard touchdown run with 8:10 remaining in the second quarter.

The Indians extended their lead to 14-0 before Quitman’s Ben Boisclair recovered a fumble in the Grand Saline end zone for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 14-7.

The Bulldogs had opportunities to make the game even closer, but turnovers proved costly. Quitman lost three fumbles and threw three interceptions during the contest.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs put together a 13-play drive deep into Grand Saline territory. Facing third-and-9 at the Indians’ 15-yard line, Quitman fumbled, and Grand Saline returned the ball 85 yards for a touchdown to extend its lead to 21-7.

Quitman continued to battle, recovering a Grand Saline fumble at the Bulldogs’ 47-yard line with 2:33 remaining.

Three plays later, however, the Indians intercepted a pass with 2:15 left to seal the victory.

Head Coach Shane Webber was proud of his team’s performance despite the loss.

“As a coach and a player you hate to say there is such a thing as a good loss, but that was a good loss for us. I hate using that term because losses are never good. We had a lot of opportunities against a team of that quality. I think the kids found themselves even in the loss. Now, we must keep that energy level and that focus in these last three games,” Webber said.

The Bulldog offensive line did a good job opening holes against a tough Grand Saline defense. Freshman Jayson Wakefield led the rushing attack with 82 yards on 15 carries, while senior Boisclair added 59 yards on the ground.

Boisclair also played a key role defensively, scoring Quitman’s lone touchdown on the fumble recovery.

“Looking at the game, I thought the team played with great energy and attitude. We knew a lot of people were going to doubt us because Grand Saline was ranked number nine in the state and 7-0, but we know we are a different team than we have been in the past. Even though we lost, we feel really good about the things we did Friday night and it is our belief in each other and our coaches that make the difference this year. Now, we have to carry this attitude into the last three games,” Boisclair said.

The Quitman defense also turned in a strong performance, holding a Grand Saline offense that entered the game averaging more than 40 points per contest to just 217 total yards.

The Indians had scored 54 points against Lone Oak and 49 against Chisum earlier in district play.

Senior defensive end Rafael Samaniego said the Bulldogs were pleased with their defensive effort.

“I thought the defense played really well. We went into the game and executed as a team. We were able to put pressure on the quarterback and close some of the gaps for their run game. We feel like we played well against a state-ranked team, and now we must build off of that for the next three games,” Samaniego said.

With games against district favorites Grand Saline and Edgewood behind them, the Bulldogs will look to make a playoff push over the final three weeks of the regular season.

Grand Saline leads District 8-2A Division II at 4-0, followed by Edgewood at 3-0 and Lone Oak at 2-1. Quitman and Prairiland are both listed at 1-2, followed by Chisum at 1-3 and Harmony at 0-4.

Grand Saline and Edgewood appear to be in good position for the top two playoff spots, leaving Quitman, Lone Oak, Prairiland and Chisum battling for the remaining two.

Quitman will travel to Prairiland Friday to face a Patriots team coming off a narrow 21-20 victory over rival Chisum. Prairiland is 3-4 overall and has also suffered district losses to Grand Saline, 35-0, and Lone Oak, 42-28.

The Patriots went 2-2 in nondistrict play, defeating Detroit and Rivercrest while falling to Honey Grove and Queen City.

Quitman enters the matchup averaging 25 points per game, compared with 15.7 for Prairiland.

Webber expects another physical game between two teams that prefer to control the ball and the clock.

“It ought to be a quick game. Both teams like to control the tempo and take time off the clock. They did a good job and they played Grand Saline pretty good too. It was 14-0 late in the third quarter when Grand Saline opened up in the rest of the second half and won 35-0. They do a good job moving the ball up and down the field. They are going to try and hold the ball and play good defense. They do a good job in the secondary and don’t let people get behind them for long gains. Hopefully we can jump on them pretty quick and make them play from behind,” Webber said.

 The Bulldogs will kick off against Prairiland at 7:30 p.m. Friday, looking for a win that would strengthen their chances of reaching the playoffs.