By Richard Sharp
Lake Area Sports
YELLVILLE-The Quitman Bulldogs kept their hot streak alive last Friday night, taking to the road to defeat the Panthers of Yellville-Summit 42-6 in the first meeting between the two schools, keeping the Bulldogs in the hunt for the 2A-4 conference championship. Junior William Litton torched the Panther defense for six total touchdowns and 351 total yards.
The guests set the tone on their opening drive, taking a quick 7-0 advantage after quarterback junior William Litton found senior receiver Landon Luman on a short pass to the left side for a touchdown, chipping on an extra point from senior kicker Erin Mathes, who would go on to haul in a 60-yard touchdown pass himself to make it a two-possession affair.
Quitman would make it 21-0 after Litton snuck into the end zone for a quarterback keep with 3:47 to go in the first half, as the host finally broke through for their first score after the speedy junior Javen Keymer breezed past all defenders to take it in for the touchdown, coming up short on the extra point attempt.
The Bulldogs would head to the halftime intermission with extra momentum on their side with another Litton quarterback keep for a second touchdown, extending the lead to 28-6 right as the game clock hit zeroes across the board.
Litton continued to provide the offensive spark for Quitman in the second half, airing out a 37-yard pass for a touchdown to Mathes, his second touchdown reception of the affair, capping off the victory with a third and final keep for a touchdown as the clock ticked away and the Bulldogs coasted the rest of the way to their third straight victory to remain unblemished in the new 2A-4 conference.
Litton racked up six touchdowns for the evening, completing 18 of 26 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns while rushing 10 times for 85 yards and three touchdowns. Mathes followed with eight receptions for 176 yards and two touchdowns, going 4-4 on extra point attempts while getting his hands to an intercepted ball.
Senior Jett Silor paced the defense with 11 total tackles, while senior Austin Haynes accumulated three tackles for a loss of yardage. The Bulldogs tallied 388 yards and held their opposition to 210 yards, only committing four penalties 35 yards while the Panthers committed 13 for 115 yards.
Quitman (4-2, 3-0), who matched last season’s win total with four games left to play, took to the road once more at Magazine (3-2, 2-1), who are winners of three of their last four contests. The Bulldogs hold the lead in the all-time series by a 3-1 count.
2A-4 Conference Standings
- Quitman: 3-0
- Bigelow: 3-0
- Magazine: 2-1
- Hector: 1-1
- Mountainberg: 1-2
- Johnson Co. Westside: 1-2
- Yellville-Summit: 0-3
- Conway Christian: 0-2