Sparta got off to a great start, but a lack of varsity players cost the Bulldogs as Murphysboro wore the team down for a 28-14 win Friday night.
The Dawgs opened up the game with a 13-play 83-yard drive behind their power running attack for a quick 6-0 lead. Zach Ferguson finished off the drive with a seven-yard touchdown run with 9:11 to play in the first quarter.
However, Murphysboro responded by scoring the next 28 points to take control of the game.
Sparta added another score, a 49-yard pass play from Blake Shelton to Preston Nance to cut the deficit to 14 points, but couldn’t come any closer.
“We only dressed 20 kids on varsity, and that really hurt us,” said Sparta coach Phil Watson. “We started 10 kids on both sides of the ball, and we just wore down late. The team did a lot of things right, but we are not where we need to be physically. We have battled a lot of injuries and the swine flu has hit us hard. This team didn’t give up, and we held our penalties down. This team is starting to get the chemistry that it needs, and they are executing much better on offense.”
Ferguson finished with 64 yards rushing on 18 carries to pace Sparta, while Shelton added 32 yards and Nance had 14.
Shelton completed 5-of-12 passes for 89 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
The Bulldogs (0-3) will host conference power Du Quoin (2-1) Friday night.