Charles Dickens’ line “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times”  to begin “The Tale of Two Cities” was alive and well in Quitman’s 42-6 loss at Troup Friday night.

The Bulldogs controlled the football in the first half running 36 plays to the Tigers’ 12. The Bulldogs used a 20-play drive consuming over eight minutes to score on a one-yard dive by Mason Reynolds. The point after was not good, but Quitman led 6-0 with 1:36 left. Reynolds carried for 42 yards on the 71-yard drive. The Bulldogs converted on a pair of fourth down plays.

Troup came back, opening up their passing game to score on a screen pass with 16 seconds left in the half. The point after kick was good and Troup took a 7-6 lead into intermission. 

After another stellar performance by the Quitman Proud Blue Band, Troup recovered a Bulldog onside kick at the Quitman 48-yard line. The Tigers went to the air after driving to the Bulldog 11-yard line and scored on a fade to the end zone making the tally 14-6 with 10:08 left in the quarter.

Troup got the ball back after the Bulldogs went four and out. It took Troup six plays to go 84 yards to score on a 35-yard run and make it a 21-6 lead. It was then disaster in the form of an injury to Reynolds that shook the Bulldogs and the Quitman faithful on hand.

A Troup player hit him head first. Reynolds lay still on the artificial turf for over 20 minutes as the stands on both sides went silent. The Troup public address announcer even offered prayer for Reynolds. An ambulance finally carted Reynolds to Tyler. After a C-Scan and testing, Reynolds was found without a major injury but will not be able to finish the season. 

At first, Reynolds did not have much feeling on his right side but was able to move his feet and hands and later regained feeling. Reynolds, who is also one of East Texas best baseball players, is hoped to recover fully.

“It was pretty scary. It is amazing what prayers can do, especially on the field when Mason couldn’t feel his right arm at first. It was a good sign he had feelings in his fingers and his toes,” a concerned Coach Shane Webber noted. “He stretched the nerves in his neck from his spine to the right shoulder. The C-Scan showed no structural damage whatsoever, no chips or breaks in the bones or spine, which is good. Everything else checked out good. Having Mason back there sure made a difference for us.”

Reynolds had rushed for 76 yards in the first half and also was instrumental on defense. 

Wyatt Hightower continued his rugged and consistent play running the ball and leading the defense.

“We had to move kids around so much and we had several playing out of position. That’s not an excuse, it’s just what we have to do in the course of the game. I thought Mikey (Pickering) and Carson (Dickens) both did a good job after moving them to the safeties on defense. Carson also ran the ball well and he will be a force to be reckoned with next year; and also, Justin Matthews did a great job for us on defense.”

“We ran offense like we wanted to in the first half. In the second quarter, everything we tried to do worked out perfectly. We held the ball, made a good drive and kept the ball away from them,” Webber said. “That is how we have won the four games we have won this year, ball control and discipline.”

Webber was still proud of his team. “We are struggling to keep kids on the field. Mason’s injury kind of got us down and our minds were elsewhere emotionally in the second half. I have told our kids I don’t won’t them fighting or playing unsportsmanlike, but I am proud our kids never backed down,” Webber claimed. “Our kids continue to fight and that is a big turning point for us.”

Troup scored three more times to make the final 42-6. 

The Bulldogs wrap up the season Friday against fifth-ranked, undefeated West Rusk. 

Senior Night activities will be held prior to the 7:30 p.m. kick-off.