Do unto others as you would have done unto you. Despite playing their starters sparingly, the Cornersville Bulldogs had little trouble disposing of an overmatched Zion Christian Academy squad on Thursday night, as they defeated the Eagles 28-8 at home.

Having beaten ZCA 44-12 two weeks earlier, the Bulldogs (3-1) put Thursday's contest out of reach early and built a 22-0 lead in the first half before coasting to the 20-point victory.

Backups play

With their first team offense playing just one series in the contest, Cornersville finished with a season low 148 yards of total offense, all of which came on the ground.

"I thought the younger kids did well. Obviously they weren't as sharp as the starters, but it was good to get them some experience. A lot of them are seventh graders and will be back next year," said CMS coach Ray Stocstill. "It's difficult to play a team that's in Zion Christian's position. They only have 13 or 14 kids on their team right now because of injuries, but they fought hard tonight."

Trenton Warren led the Bulldogs ground game with 40 yards on five carries, while backup quarterback Will Vanhooser toted the ball eight times for 34 yards and a touchdown. Kolbe McMahon, Eli Woodard, Darien Bush, and Cameron Whitaker tallied 21, 19, 19, and 17 yards rushing respectively for Cornersville as well with Whitaker scoring a touchdown, while Colton added an 11-yad TD run.

Dominance

The Bulldogs turned in a dominant performance defensively, as they limited the Eagles to just 88 yards of total offense and forced five Zion Christian Academy turnovers.

Cornersville was exceptionally tough against the run and held the Eagles to -28 yards rushing on 19 carries. Zion Christian quarterback Mark Lowery completed 7-of-13 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown, but tossed three interceptions.

Michael Crowther hauled in four passes for 60 yards and a touchdown to pace the Eagles receiving corps, and Jesse Buckner had three catches for 56 yards.

Zach Blackwell led the Bulldog defense with five tackles, while Whitaker recorded four tackles and returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown. Kade Fitzgerald, Vanhooser, Alex Webster, Peyton Finch, and Caleb Crowell also notched three tackles apiece with Crowell recovering a fumble. Shaun Chisler recovered a fumble as well, while Charlie Pack and Ethan Courtemanchee each recorded an interception.

Ahead from start

Cornersville wasted no time getting on the board and put together a five-play, 57-yard scoring drive on their opening possession to grab an 8-0 lead. Following a 13-yard scamper by Woodard, Whitaker and McMahon ripped off consecutive runs of 14 and 21 yards to move the ball down to the ZCA nine-yard line. Whitaker then scored from three yards out two plays later before McMahon ran in the two-point conversion.

After the Eagles lost 15 yards on their opening drive, the Bulldogs started their second offensive series at the Zion Christian Academy 39 thanks to a short punt by Crowther. Cornersville was able to cash in on the good field position, as Vanhooser scored on a three-yard touchdown plunge five plays later to give CMS a 14-0 advantage with :40 left in the first quarter.

Both teams came up empty on their next possession before the Eagles advanced to the Bulldog 36 on their third drive with the help of a 21-yard reception by Buckner. ZCA's momentum would prove to be fleeting, as Whitaker picked off a pass by Lowery and raced 60 yards to the end zone for a touchdown before Warren caught the two-point conversion pass from Vanhooser to stretch Cornersville's lead to 22-0 with :47 left in the second quarter.

Zion Christian started the second half with excellent field position when Crowther returned the opening kickoff 60 yards to the Bulldog 11. The Eagles were unable to capitalize on the opportunity and gave up the ball on downs after losing two yards on their next four plays.

Cornersville stopped ZCA deep in Bulldog territory again thanks to an interception by Pack, but the Eagles finally broke up the shutout early in the fourth quarter when Lowery hit Crowther for a 45-yard touchdown strike. Buckner then ran in the two-point conversion to narrow the gap to 22-8.

CMS failed to pick up a first down on their next two possessions, but Courtemanchee intercepted a pass by Lowery late in the fourth quarter to set up Cornersville at the Zion Christian Academy 22.

McVey then scored on a 11-yard touchdown in the waning moments of the fourth quarter to cap the Bulldogs 28-8 victory.

Next Thursday's game at RCA has been cancelled due to the fact that RCA has dropped 11-man football.