Bulldogs give up The Pick

By Bruce Whetten
Douglas Dispatch
Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 2:20 PM MDT


After having The Pick for three straight years the Douglas Bulldogs were forced to give it up Friday night following a 14-8 loss to the Bisbee Pumas in the season opener for both teams.


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The game was the 140th meeting between the two schools making it one of the oldest football rivalries in the country.

The season opener at Douglas High School also marked the initiation of the new synthetic turf field which was installed over the summer. Heavy rain fell shortly before game time raining out numerous pre-game parties and intermittently throughout the contest. Despite the showers the field proved to be a viable playing surface and many of the estimated 4,000 people in attendance remarked how nice the field looked and how good it was to have a scoreboard that was fully functional.

Friday’s season opener began with a moment of silence to the three paramedics from Southeast Arizona Medical Center who lost their lives in a helicopter crash in Tucson. It also included a flyover by one of the helicopters stationed at SAMC.

Gone but not forgotten was Bisbee’s former coach Truman Williamson who was also included in the moment of silence. Williamson died recently of a heart attack on his way to practice at Bisbee High School.

The Bulldogs took the opening drive of the game and the season and marched from their own 23 down to Bisbee’s 33 chewing up over eight minutes off the clock before fumbling the ball over to the Pumas.

Bisbee marched from its own 33 down to Douglas’ 11 in six plays, two of which were personal foul penalties before fumbling it back to the Bulldogs.

Douglas would chew up the remaining time of the first quarter as well as the first nine minutes of the second quarter eventually turning the ball over on downs after being stopped three straight plays from the Pumas 2-yard line.

Bisbee took over possession and had the ball for just 12 seconds before Joseph Sandoval and Grant Watkins teamed up for a safety tackling Puma running back Anthony Rivera in the end zone giving Douglas a 2-0 lead.

Those two plays would be the only time Bisbee had the ball the second quarter as Douglas took the ensuing possession and drove from their own 33 down to the Puma 8 before once again being turned away.

Douglas led 2-0 at the half and had a 123-25 edge in total offense. Bisbee had just six offensive plays the first half.

The Pumas first two runs of the second half doubled their first half in total yardage and another penalty against Douglas kept the drive going. Rivera would eventually score on a 1-yard run. The missed two point conversion left Bisbee with a 6-2 lead.

Douglas again came back with another time consuming drive that included a fake punt. The drive would later stall however and the Dogs were forced to punt. Bisbee muffed the punt and Douglas was there for the recovery

Less than a minute later Bulldog quarterback AJ Acosta would hit Abner Cortez on a 4-yard touchdown pass. Douglas also missed its two-point conversion but had an 8-6 lead.

With rain falling in the fourth quarter both teams continued to keep the ball on the ground.

With 10:40 remaining in the game the Dog offense took over possession and marched from its own 14 down to Bisbee’s 36 before turning it over on downs missing the first down marker by inches.

Bisbee would take over possession. Rivera would eventually score from 5-yards out with 1:07 remaining giving the lead back to Bisbee. Rivera would also run in the conversion as the Pumas led 14-8.

With time running out and one timeout in their possession Acosta went to the air where Raul Hildago was waiting for the interception giving the Bisbee fans reason to celebrate as they chanted “we want The Pick”.

Bisbee would finish with 224 yards in total offense all of which came on the ground. Rivera would finish the night with 151-yards on 17 carries and account for all of Bisbee’s points.

Douglas would finish with 211 yards in total offense; 131 of which came on the ground and 80 through the air.

Acosta would finish the night 9 of 15 with a TD and an interception. Cortez had six receptions for 40 yards and a score. Hunter Long would have one catch for 18 yards; Mark Romero one for 19 and Diego Salazar one for seven.

Jason Sanez would finish the night with 16 carries for 54 yards; Grant Watkins six for 39 and Long one for seven.

Douglas’ coach Dick Keith said afterwards Bisbee came ready to play.

“They came out here fired up and played their hearts out,” he said. “They wanted it more than we did.”

Keith had been undefeated against Bisbee both as a coach and as a player in the 1960’s.

“I kept telling our guys to not take this team lightly,” he said “I’m very old school when it comes to rivalries.”

The coach said penalties; turnovers and missed opportunities in the red zone hurt his team in the end.

“You can’t make those mistakes and win,” he said. “I feel so badly for our football team right now because they’re all hurting inside but we have to regroup. I have to give my best to Bisbee they played one heck of a football game tonight.”

We knew all week we were going to win this game,” Bisbee’s coach Chris Vertrees said. “To tell you honestly, we were very relaxed coming in. We knew we had a good scheme. We know we have a great team. We just had to hang on to the football, and it got close because we didn’t hang onto the football.”

Once the game was over, Bisbee wasted little time in taking custody of The Pick. On Saturday they brought it back to Douglas to have the latest score engraved on it then it was back to Bisbee for a celebration.

Douglas is off this week and will be back in action Sept. 10 taking on Nogales in Nogales.

The Apaches shut out Sahuarita 6-0 in its season opener Friday night.

Copyright © 2012 Douglas Dispatch

Comments

    former puma wrote on Sep 22, 2010 5:45 PM:

    " OMG....reading all these comments makes me laugh because it's funny seeing how mad some of u guys are getting...ya it's great to know pumas won more power to them..but really i think those that think the pumas didnt have class, news flash for you thats just the rival attitude between schools...they have been playing for over 100 yrs, let them enjoy h.s. as you did "

    Uh oh wrote on Sep 14, 2010 10:49 PM:

    " Hearing rumor Bisbee used ineligible player. If, IF, BIG IF, true, Bisbee forfeits. Heck of a way to lose the Pick and bring it back to Douglas. "

    To Puma Pride wrote on Sep 14, 2010 8:14 AM:

    " Okay you have bragging rights, I won't take that away from you. But if your spelling and grammar is any indication of your Bisbee education I would refrain from writing a public statements and not prove what a mediocre school you attended. Which goes hand in hand with the classless behavior your team displayed! "

    To All... wrote on Sep 11, 2010 4:33 PM:

    " Let's get this straight. These are young man playing as hard as they can. To disrespect that means you have no class. This is high school football.. Douglas lost - get over it. Butlame can go many places bottom line, Bisbee won. We live to play another day. As far as the Bisbee player (number 7) disrepecting our field.. no class. But he is young and with that comes stupidity. Their coach from what I was told handled it just fine and with class. Those of you writing in here pointing fingers, slamming each other are less classy and are more then likely adults which means you have not excuse to act classless.

    By the way - Congrats to the Bulldogs and Coaches for overcoming the loss and beating Nogales. That is the correct way to get over a loss. Not this whining from adults. "

    HAHAHAHAHAHA wrote on Sep 10, 2010 10:49 PM:

    " Now it turns out we lost the pick because Abrigo was not playing????..... what----ever!!!! "

    happyind wrote on Sep 10, 2010 5:45 PM:

    " DAWGS you guys did a good job. Nick #38 you were awesome. May you guys have a good year and remember always keep your heads held up high.h4H6b "

    To Curious wrote on Sep 9, 2010 10:43 PM:

    " This must be your first time reading the Dispatch website.
    Keith did not kick it because he has no kicker. His kicker, Mike Abrigo, tore his ACL in practice and is out for the season.
    The coach is trying to find a replacement for the Nogales game.
    The Dispatch put the story in the paper and the web and got ripped because many called it a non-story -- a non-story that stopped the Bulldogs from possibly beating Bisbee. "

    Curious.... wrote on Sep 9, 2010 12:34 PM:

    " Keith lost the game when he went for it on 4th down instead of kicking... Bisbee has no passing game.. Kick it and stop the run..

    Curious as to why??? "

    Puma Pride wrote on Sep 8, 2010 10:55 PM:

    " Hey what happen when "YOUR Bulldogs" have won for the last 4 year in Bisbee. , Was storming are FIELD a sign of Class or Disrespect Can't believe You got upset because Bisbee won and was celebrating on the field.. would of not matter were they were you will still compliant. Bisbee hasn't won since 1972 and has the bragging rights to celebrate anywhere on that field.Is not about the "Field" is about those kids playing their HEARTS out for that game.Let The bulldogs go play a 6A or 5A school and win , and see them celebrate "

    proud wrote on Sep 8, 2010 7:11 PM:

    " I agree with Coach Keith - Bisbee was fired up; I would not say they wanted it more than the bulldogs, but as anyone with common sense knows, adrenalin is a huge part of the game. The pumas were pumped! I personally am a fan of the bulldogs (all sports), no matter what and I remind the entire community that we should all stand behind not just the bulldog teams but our local youth in general and be proud of them. All schools have various activities/sporting events along with what goes on outside of school. Support them in all aspects of their lives: academically, athletically, and in their involvement with the community. To those of you who do nothing but criticize, shame on you! You are a poor example of what a good person/a proud resident of the community (including Pirtleville) should be. Shape up! "

    agree wrote on Sep 8, 2010 6:44 PM:

    " many agree with 'say what' and 'move on'. to all you critics, get over it. either support the bulldogs thru wins and losses or not. these are young men playing a game that they love. they are out there for their enjoyment; would you rather they be out on the streets causing problems? do you talk trash when your nfl teams lose? those guys get paid way too much and as we all know, week after week, there is a winning team and a losing team. as for criticizing coach keith, come on, how immature is that?! think you can do a better job? if so, why aren't you out there? as always, people have to talk trash - never happy. stop picking on these young men and coaching staff.

    from many to the bulldogs & coaching staff: hold your head up high, continue to work hard, and leave it all on the field! as long as you try, you are all winners in our opinion! best of luck this season! "

    Move On wrote on Sep 8, 2010 9:16 AM:

    " So what is Bisbee? On any given day any team can win OR lose. It was Bisbbe's day to win. But rather than showing a little class on their victory they acted like the low class pot smoking hippies that they are. Pounding with their helmets the logo of the Bulldog on the field, yelling stupidities, until finally their coaches had to step in and stop them. Yes it's great to win but Bisbee lacks true sportsmanship above all CLASS! it wasn't necessary to stomp on the logo like they did. Their coach that passed away would have been embarrassed. As for DAWGS, hey the season is not over...You've got a coach that works hard knows the game, and a team that will get better as the season rolls on. To you Douglas so called fans, it's easy to be critical when you are only a spectator, a real fan is with the team through thick and thin. These kids worked all summer in the heat to be on this team, don't belittle their sincere efforts to be the athletes they are trying to be. So they lost this one, it's ok it's not the end of the world. There's always next year, and when we win we can give Bisbee some lessons on how real winners behave with class. Move on Dawgs you got alot of football to be played yet! "

    Say What wrote on Sep 7, 2010 3:04 PM:

    " Hey Pumamama have you looked at your own team? Bisbee is no saint. Your quarterback showed no class when danced on our Bulldog at the end of the game and then got a unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against San Manuel the next week. Dont be talking dirt about Douglas when your own team is just as guilty.
    Bisbee played a good game. They wanted it more than Douglas ... let it be at that. "

    pumamama wrote on Sep 7, 2010 12:21 AM:

    " it also helped that they finally got some good refs that werent pro douglas this year. douglas team are such dirty players but they figured out right off the bat that it wasnt going to fly with these refs. they started calling personal fouls left and right so the bulldogs had to play fair this year. and yea, Bisbee is 2A. kind of an embarrassment for the bulldogs... no? "

    Captain Obvious wrote on Sep 5, 2010 9:45 PM:

    " With the bulldogs poor performace I believe it is now painfully obvious that keith is not the messiah we originally percieved him as. Credit for last years winning season is owed not to a jr. league half rate coach but to a superior football team. A team who devoted themselves to the sport and worked hard to EARN the respect that this new set of players expects to be given to them. Bulldogs of 2010 I regret the lack of reward for all of your hardwork. Bulldogs of 2011...words cannot describe my disappointment. "

    former bulldog wrote on Sep 5, 2010 8:45 PM:

    " keith and the entire coaching staff should be fired that was one of the worst coached game that ive seen in years they allowed the 2010 bulldogs to lose this game they should be ashamed No Pride!!!!! "

    dawgs wrote on Sep 5, 2010 4:19 PM:

    " dear sad,
    you seem like you are so sad over high school football, really? No school spirit? I love it how once the bulldogs win everyone loves them and is happy, but once we lose a game everyones a critic :) "

    Veronica wrote on Sep 3, 2010 12:06 PM:

    " Unfortunately the young bulldogs have some pretty big shoes to fill after last season, and we all knew that it was probably going to be a difficult season for them. What they need is support and not criticizm. So they lost against Bisbee...there's always next year. This is what keeps the rivalry exciting! Even the pro's have their off games!! Lets come together as a community and support these kids, we need to encourage them! Can't wait to see Hunter Long show us what he can do! Coach Keith...I believe in you! "

    GO BULLDAWGS wrote on Sep 2, 2010 3:04 PM:

    " Though a tough loss for the team ... there is plenty of season left for them to pick themselves up and still have a successful season! We need to stand behind them and support them every single game. I hope to see as many people/fans in the stands at every game as there were for the Pick Game. Best of luck to you Bulldogs!!! Stay healthy and play hard ... we know you can do it!!!! GO DAWGS!!!!! "

    ewe wrote on Sep 2, 2010 6:17 AM:

    " Needless to say, the bulldogs were humbled on their new turf and Keith is no longer undefeated against the Bisbee Pumas. I would say that the season looks to be rather long for this year's Douglas Bulldogs. "

    Sad wrote on Sep 1, 2010 9:49 PM:

    " What is Bisbee, single A? Sad!!!! "

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