Making an opening statement with dominating Class 1A, DII Bi-District playoff win over Bynum, 7th-ranked Iredell set to take on 8th-ranked powerhouse Strawn in Hico
Wanting to make a statement and set the tone for the Class 1A, Division II postseason, the Iredell Dragons walked off the Bi-District battleground with their mission accomplished.
Junior Cole Heutzenroeder scored four touchdowns and junior Caleb Garland caught three scoring strikes as the Class 1A, Division II’s seventh-ranked Iredell Dragons made quick work of the Bynum Bulldogs, 59-14, in a Bi-District playoff matchup last Friday night at Waco Methodist Children’s Home’s Bulldog Field last Friday.
With Iredell dominating from the opening kickoff, Heutzenroeder took the first play from scrimmage for a 46-yard touchdown run 12 seconds into the game. Bynum battled the entire game, but the Dragons scored with two seconds remaining in the first half to close out the victory early by virtue of the 45-point mercy rule.
“We knew week one of the playoffs was very important in setting the tone from the very beginning,” Iredell head coach Luis Guereca said. “They responded. I was very proud of them. From that very first play when we ran that sweep, there were several great blocks, we ran the assignments. And how excited we got was great to see. It set the tone for the game and the playoffs.”
With the win, the Dragons (9-2) advance to the Class 1A, DII Regional playoff round to take on the eighth-ranked and perennial powerhouse Strawn Greyhounds (9-2) at 7 p.m. Friday in Hico’s historic Tiger Stadium. The Greyhounds posted an impressive 76-6 Bi-District playoff win over the Fannindel Falcons last Thursday night in Blum.
Strawn won three state championships in five seasons between 2017-2021, which led the Greyhounds to be the focus of a television series entitled “Texas 6,” attempting to achieve a three-peat of the DII six-man football state title.
“Strawn is a solid team,” Guereca said. “They are going to do the small things right. We will need to limit mistakes on both sides of the ball. When playoffs begin, the simplest things are the most important. It just comes down to who is going to do a better job blocking and tackling.”
Against Bynum (2-9), Heutzenroeder ran wild early, breaking off three long touchdown runs of 46, 48 and 36 yards before finishing with a game-high 128 yards rushing on only four carries. Defensively, Heutzenroeder picked up a fumble and darted 56 yards for a score while accumulating 14 tackles.
Keeping the Bulldog defense on their heels with a balanced attack, Iredell freshman Corter Sweat completed three of five passes for 84 yards, all to Garland on scoring strikes, who also ripped off a punishing 42-yard run.
Junior running back Jordan Gutierrez added two rushing touchdowns before finishing with 73 yards on four carries, while leading the Dragon defense with 15 tackles. Also contributing to the Iredell defensive effort, Garland collected eight tackles, followed by senior Zach Mitchell and junior Caden Sweat with five each.
“We knew about their size, that they would try to run the clock and that it would be tough to get around them,” Guereca said. “They did a good job of getting a couple of big runs on us. So credit to them for making some plays. But we were able to make a few adjustments, and shut that down a little bit. And we were fortunate enough to score at the end to finish it at the half.”
After jumping out to a quick 14-0 lead, Iredell delivered another lightning strike with a 43-yard touchdown pass from Corter Sweat to Garland midway through the first quarter.
Despite the 22-point deficit, Bynum refused to give up. The Bulldogs marched the ball down field and cashed in on a short touchdown rush from senior Brandon Collins. But the Dragons quickly responded with a 39-yard pass from Sweat to Garland to rebuild their advantage.
On Bynum’s next possession, Heutzenroeder grabbed an interception to set Iredell up for a 34-yard touchdown rush by Gutierrez to end the first quarter with a commanding 36-6 lead, and the rout was on.
After the Dragons opened the second quarter with 16 unanswered points, Bynum refused to surrender to the 45-point deficit by going on the march and culminating the drive with a touchdown pass from Collins to junior Matthew Canales with 29 second left in the half.
But Iredell promptly went back to work, quickly moving into position for a 21-yard touchdown run from Gutierrez and a one-point conversion run to put the Dragons back up by 45 points.
After advancing to the Class 1A, Division II regional finals for only the third time in school history last season, Iredell earned its third consecutive trip to the playoffs with its second straight District 11-1A, DII title. But this season, the Dragons want more.
“The last few years have not been what we expected or wanted, and it’s kind of a sore subject for us,” Guereca said. “But we like to look back and understand that we are a different team now. Expectations are high and that’s what we want. We are ready for the challenge.”
Photos by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS
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