In a slugfest, Hampton had the winning punches.
The Bulldogs picked up a 21-0 victory over Monterey in the first round of the TSSAA Class 2A playoffs at JC Campbell Stadium on Friday night.
With the win, Hampton advances to take on Rockwood on the road next Friday in the second round.
The Bulldogs jumped out early.
McKinley Kuhn jumped on a Wildcat fumble on the first offensive snap of the game. The turnover set up an eight-yard touchdown from Conor Jones.
The Bulldog defense proved to be just as stingy on the second drive as Jones jumped in front of a Wildcat pass for an interception.
The Hampton offense went to work and took advantage of some key runs from Levi Lunsford behind the Bulldog offensive line as well as a Chance Point reception. Jones ended the impressive drive with a 15-yard touchdown.
Michael Harrison added the extra point for Hampton to push the lead to 14-0.
The Hampton defense came up big in the closing minutes of the second quarter by halting a lengthy Monterey drive with a fourth-down stop that preserved a 14-0 Hampton halftime lead.
Points were hard to come by in the second half as both defenses continued to battle.
The teams traded possessions until early in the fourth quarter as Jones found the endzone for the third time on the night.
From there, Hampton was able to secure the win to advance into next week’s second-round matchup.
