The Andalusia Bulldogs’ season came to an end at the hands of the Beauregard Hornets when they fell 12-8 in the first round of the playoffs Friday night.

The Bulldogs have to be disappointed in the outcome of the game, as Beauregard’s only two scores of the night came on a fumble return and a punt return for touchdowns.

The Andy defense played lights-out once again, not allowing a score, but the offense never seemed to be able to sustain any momentum.

Andalusia head coach Brian Seymore was disappointed by the outcome, but not the effort of his team.

“I just hate we had to go out in that manner,” Seymore said. “Our kids did a tremendous job tonight with the game plan. I thought we were physical and we played with a lot of heart. The coaches did a great job in preparation. It’s very seldom that you throw a defensive shut-out and lose.”

The first half featured no shortage of big plays.

Near the end of the first quarter, a mishandled punt by the Hornets’ return man gave the Bulldogs great field position and Junior Michael McCalman took advantage of it, taking the quarterback keeper in 31 yards for the score.

The two-point conversion was good, and with 1:10 remaining in the first quarter, the Bulldogs claimed the early lead, 8-0.

The special teams unit came through for the ‘Dawgs again on the very next play, as they recovered an onside kick that took the Beauregard return team by surprise.

The offense was unable to capitalize on the good field position, however, and attempted an unsuccessful fake punt, after going three-and-out.

Two plays later, Andalusia’s Keontya Johnson stepped in front of a Beauregard pass for the interception, stopping the Hornets’ drive cold in its tracks.

After another punt, the defense stepped up again, when Junior tackle Montel Lee recorded a sack and forced a fumble that was recovered by the Bulldogs.

The offense wasn’t able to score before halftime, and Andalusia took an 8-0 lead into the half.

To open the second half, the Andalusia offense carried out an impressive drive that ended in disaster.

On the 15th play of a drive that included two fourth-down conversions and ate up more than eight minutes of clock, the snap was fumbled and picked up by a Beauregard defender that raced all the way down the field for a defensive touchdown.

The two-point conversion was no good, and the Bulldogs clung to an 8-6 lead with 3:52 left in the third quarter.

Andalusia’s next possession looked eerily familiar.

Eleven plays in to another solid drive, the Bulldogs were forced to punt.

That was the good news.

The bad news is that the Hornets’ punt returner, Mike McDonald, made several Bulldogs miss on his way to an 85-yard touchdown return for the final score of the night.

The Hornets again couldn’t convert the two-point play and with 9:41 left in the game, they took the lead for good, 12-8.

All of Andalusia’s scoring efforts were unsuccessful, and the Bulldogs’ season was ended with a record of 6-5.

While this loss will sting for a while, Seymore hopes it will be a learning experience for his team moving forward.

“We must move forward and try to get better each day,” Seymore said. “The off-season will be vital for our team to mature and grow into a better team with higher expectations. For the seniors leaving, I thank them for the hard work and dedication to our program. I hope the Lord blesses each individual in a special way. This loss will be hard to get over, but I know something good will come from it.”