The Cornersville Middle School Bulldogs started the 2013 football campaign with a bang, as they hammered the Huntland Hornets 44-0 on Thursday night at home.

CMS put the game out of reach early and built a 32-0 lead in the first half before tacking on two more touchdowns over the final two quarters to cruise to the lopsided victory.

With their defense and special teams accounting for three of their six touchdowns, the Bulldogs finished with a modest 197 yards of total offense, all on the ground, but averaged a whopping 13.1 yards per play.

Productive runs

Despite touching the ball only five times, Cornersville tailback Kolbe McMahon racked up 215 all purpose yards and three touchdowns, as he returned three punts for 155 yards and two scores to go along with 60 yards rushing and a TD on two carries.

Quarterback Eli Woodard and Darien Bush both rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown for the Bulldogs as well, while Trenton Warren added 29 yards rushing on three carries.

"I was a little bit surprised with how easily we won. They had some big kids and we didn't have a game or scrimmage yet, but we did the things that we worked on," said CMS coach Ray Stocstill. "We've got several kids that can do something when they get a chance to touch the ball. We've also got a good offensive line this year too."

Dominant 'D'

The Bulldog defense turned in a dominant performance and limited the Hornets to a mere 35 yards of total offense on 27 plays while forcing one turnover.

"The defense got after it tonight. We didn't do anything complicated. We just wanted them to be aggressive and they were," said Stocstill.

Huntland running back Alex Simmons toted the ball 14 times, but rushed for only 21 yards, while Dillon Summers added nine yards rushing on six carries. Hornet quarterback Brandon Yarbrough completed 1-of-2 passes for -2 yards and tossed one interception.

Adams Qualls recorded eight tackles to lead Cornersville's defensive effort, while Warren and Peyton Finch tallied seven and five tackles respectively. Zach Blackwell, Woodard, and Kade Fitzgerald notched four tackles apiece for the Bulldogs as well with Woodard returning an interception 42 yards for a touchdown.

Early blast

After Warren returned the opening kickoff to midfield, it took the Bulldogs just two plays to reach pay dirt, as Woodard raced around the right side of the line for a 39-yard touchdown. Woodward then hit McMahon in the end zone on the two-point conversion to give CMS an 8-0 lead with 7:02 left in the first quarter.

Huntland picked up a first down on their opening possession thanks to a 12-yard run by Simmons, but gained just five yards on their next three plays and were forced to punt. McMahon then returned the kick 70 yards for a touchdown before running in the two-point conversion to stretch Cornersville's lead to 16-0 midway through the first period.

Following a three and out by the Hornets, McMahon burned Huntland again by returning the ensuing punt 64 yards for a TD. Cameron Whitaker then ran in the two-point conversion to make it 24-0 with :55 left in the opening quarter.

After being forced to punt again, Huntland caught a break when McMahon mishandled the kick and Cody Edwards recovered the ball to give the Hornets possession at midfield. Huntland was unable to take advantage of the favorable field position, as they failed to pick up a first down before kicking the ball away.

Scores continue

Although McMahon had a 71-yard touchdown return negated by a holding penalty, Woodard ripped off a 29-yard run on the first play of the drive to advance the ball to the Hornet 31. The Bulldogs then lost 18 yards on a bad shotgun snap, but McMahon scored on a 49-yard touchdown jaunt on the next play before Whitaker ran in the two-point conversion to extend CMS' lead to 32-0 with 1:13 left in the half.

The Bulldogs continued to pad their lead in the third quarter, as Woodard picked off a pass by Yarbrough and raced 42 yards for a score to stake CMS to a 38-0 advantage.

Huntland then mishandled the ensuing kickoff and Shelby Luna pounced on the pigskin to give Cornersville possession at the Hornet 37.

The Bulldogs were eventually stopped on downs after advancing to the Huntland nine-yard line, before Bush broke loose for a 58-yard run on CMS' final offensive series to cap Cornersville's 44-0 triumph.