Buckhorn gets shut out in stinging first loss of the season 

 

The Cullman Bearcats kicked in the doors of Tommy R. Ledbetter Stadium and blew right through the Buckhorn Bucks in a lopsided 35-0 win on Friday night. 

After opening up the season with three consecutive wins, including a regional victory over Hazel Green last week, the Bucks ran into a brick wall of a defensive front that wouldn’t let any rushers through. Quarterback C.J. Hatcher tried to make magic on a few keepers, but he was constantly swarmed by a gang of white jerseys. 

It was like the inside of a hornets’ nest. 

On the defensive side of the ball, the Bucks got overpowered by Cullman’s offensive front, which allowed for several power running plays up the gut. But the real damage was done when the Bearcats got on the outside, and the Bucks defense struggled to seal the edge. 

As the saying goes, speed kills. 

By the end of the first half, the Bucks trailed 14-0 after a pair of rushing touchdowns from the Bearcats. And then the floodgates opened in the second half. 

Cullman started the third quarter with a strong 15-yard rush on the outside before quarterback Ryan Skinner sailed a touchdown throw right over the defense off a play-action pass. Buckhorn had some missed opportunities with some dropped passes, and Hatcher also threw a couple of interceptions in an effort to make something happen. 

But the Bucks never stopped fighting and even made it to Cullman’s 19-yard line in the fourth quarter on a potential touchdown drive that came up short. As coach Matt Patterson put it after the game, sometimes you just run into a really good football team.  

“That’s a really good football team we played tonight, and they took it to us—no if, ands or buts about it,” Patterson told 97.7 The Zone. “We’ve got to rebound and learn and come back next week. We’ve got to go to Decatur. We’ve got to get over this quick because we’ve got another big game next week on the road with a good Decatur football team regardless of what their record is. They’re a good football team, and if we’re not ready to play, it can be a tough week again.”

The Bucks head on the road to Decatur in Week 5 to face a Red Raiders team that has yet to win a game this season. Meanwhile, Cullman will go to Hazel Green after snapping a two-game losing streak.