2A Team of the Week: Iola Bulldogs
Iola headed to Thorndale last Friday for a testing road trip against a school a division above them. According to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, Iola was a 23-point underdog in the game.
However, Iola’s sophomore quarterback Tyler Elliott came to play. He rushed for 183 yards and five touchdowns, while adding another 108 yards in the air. His backfield partner freshman running back Adrian Garrett finished with 108 rushing yards and two catches for 40 yards as well.
Those big performances from Iola’s young backfield led the Bulldogs to a notable 38-31 victory. With the Bulldogs now 3-1 on the season, they have surpassed their win total from each of the past two seasons. It’s their best start to a season since 2019.
Iola head coach Rex Sharp took over the program this past offseason after serving as an assistant in 2022, and he’s been impressed with the response he’s seen from his players.
“Changing a losing culture is not easy, but I am proud that our kids have bought in to the expectations and system,” Sharp said. “We are getting better each week both fundamentally and execution. We have a ways to go but it is a process. Our kids want to win, and they will work their tails off. We have an extremely tough district with three teams in the top ten state rankings. We are gonna line up and get after it!”
Tests from teams like Bremond, Chilton, and Granger will come, but first, Iola will wrap up its non-district schedule this Thursday with a trip to Maud.
Previous 2A Teams of the Week
Week One: Timpson
Week Two: Abilene TLCA
Week Three: Kerens
