QUICK STRIKES TRIGGER OZARK PAST WALDRON

Ozark couldn’t wait to get off the bus Friday night. The Hillbillies racked up 125 yards on their first two offensive series and rolled up five touchdowns on their first five series en route to a 47-14 victory over the Waldron Bulldogs. Waldron, which snapped a 43-game losing streak last season, while boasting a respectable 5-5 record, was 2-1 prior to Friday’s 4A-4 opener. Two plays into Friday’s game, the Bulldogs had Ozark facing third-and-12 from their 39. But quarterback Dawson Dietz hit a wide open Bryant Burns on a crossing pattern who, after making one player miss, turned on the jets for a 61-yard touchdown play. Burns caught four passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns. “It’s really frustrating,” Waldron coach Ricky May said. “We played hard for two downs, and then gave up a big throw on the third one. Burns is a great athlete; we told them all week that’s who they’re going to throw the ball to, and they did. “We didn’t have much coverage and we didn’t have much pressure; it’s a combination of both.” “I’m super proud of the guys,” Ozark coach Jeremie Burns said. “They came in focused, I thought, had a good week of practice, and executed right off the bat.” Ozark’s quick touchdown was just the beginning for an offense that accumulated 329 yards of offense in the first half alone. Sophomore Daniel Woolsey broke free for a 38-yard touchdown run on the Hillbillies’ second offensive series. And, after Dietz connected with Burns for a 21-0 lead, junior Eddie Graham caught a 46-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the second quarter to give Ozark a 28-0 lead. “They were fired up from last week,” Jeremie Burns said. “They had a bad taste in their mouth from last week, and we wanted to come out here and try to take it out on these guys, and we got the win.” Dietz scored from the 2 with 4½ minutes left in the first half for a 35-0 lead. But Levi Franklin’s 35-yard interception return led to Trey Williams’ 17-yard touchdown pass to Levi Hayden, cutting Ozark’s lead to 35-7 at the half. Woolsey’s 1-yard run gave Ozark a 41-7 lead, but Waldron’s Logan Tull returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards to cut the Hillbillies’ lead to 41-14. Woolsey capped the win with his third touchdown run of the game, a 3-yard burst. He finished with 83 yards rushing. Defensively, Ozark held Waldron to just 74 yards total offense.

QUICK STRIKES TRIGGER OZARK PAST WALDRON

Photo Credit: Ozark High School Athletics

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