The Brantley Bulldogs saw their perfect season come to a screeching halt Friday night as Class 1A powerhouse Sweet Water completely knocked them out of the third round of the AHSAA Class 1A state playoffs, 47-7.

The Bulldogs of Crenshaw County couldn’t seem to hold it together as Sweet Water capitalized on several Brantley turnovers, something Brantley hasn’t done all season. Brantley fumbled on just the third play of the game, setting up a Sweet Water possession that resulted in the first points of the game just seven plays later. Sophomore Chris Landrum, who had a big night for the visiting Bulldogs, dove over the top and hit paydirt with just 7:43 left in the first quarter. Justin Waldrep’s point after attempt was good, and Sweet Water took an early 7-0 lead. They never looked back.

Even though Brantley kept the ball for most of the rest of the first quarter, they couldn’t get any points on the board, ending the first quarter trailing Sweet Water by seven.

Junior Johnny Lockett started off the second quarter with a 15-yard gain that was stopped at the Brantley 42-yard line. Jeremy Landrum actually lost yardage on the next play, while Johnny Locket only picked up one yard on the next run as he was stopped by Brantley running back Anthony Gulley. Quarterback Damaraquis Williams threw a nice pass to Jul Gaines who carried it to the Brantley 34 yard line.

But it was Chris Landrum, again, who ran it in for another Sweet Water touchdown with 9:02 left in the second quarter. The PAT failed due to a bad snap, and Sweet Water led 13-0.

But Brantley came right back on their next possession as Gulley ran the punt return down to the 41 yard line. Quarterback Chase Hall’s 60-yard pass to Gulley for a touchdown would be the only shining moment for the Bulldogs throughout the night. Britt Barnes’ kick was good, and Brantley was on the board, 13-7, with 8:33 left in the second quarter.

Just six minutes later, Chris Landrum was adding another Sweet Water touchdown to the board, this time on a 23-yard run. Justin Waldrep’s PAT was good, and the purple and gold Bulldogs were up 20-7 with 2:48 left in the second quarter.

Sweet Water’s next points came after quarterback Damaraquis Williams intercepted a Chase Hall pass and ran it all the way back to the 14 yard line. Johnny Lockett ran it in for his first touchdown of the night. Waldrep’s PAT was no good, but Sweet Water had a commanding 26-7 lead going into the second half.

During the first half, Brantley had only 56 yards rushing and 79 yards passing. Sweet Water’s Johnny Lockett had 71 yards rushing in 13 carries for the first half, and Chris Landrum had 4 totes for 62 yards and 2 TDs.

With 4:20 left in the third quarter, Brantley’s Chase Hall threw another pass interception. This time, it was picked off by senior Antonio Landrum, who landed on the Sweet Water 35 yard line. Three plays later, Chris Landrum scored his fourth TD of the night on a big 53-yard run. Waldrep’s PAT was good, and Sweet Water was up 33-7 with 3 minutes left in the third quarter.

On Brantley’s next drive, Stephen Walker fumbled the ball; Trae McIntosh recovered it and ran it all the way down the field to put the visiting Bulldogs in good scoring range.

Two plays later Johnny Lockett ran it in for a Sweet Water TD with 1:54 left in the third quarter. Waldrep’s PAT was good, and Sweet Water had taken a commanding 40-7 lead over Brantley.

Sweet Water added their final points for the night five minutes into the fourth quarter as Jeremy Landrum scored on a long run downfield; Waldrep’s PAT was good, and the Sweet Water Bulldogs put an end to Brantley’s 2008 season with a 47-7 victory.

Brantley ends their year with a 12-1 season record, and Sweet Water will now face Linden in the next round of AHSAA Class 1A playoff action.

Sweetwater has won the Class 1A state championship in 2004, 2006, and 2007. They now have a 12-1 season this year, with their only loss coming at the hands of Leroy.