The Salem High School Seminoles opened their 2012 season with a 28-7 win against the visiting Rockdale County Bulldogs on Friday night. The performance was comprised of stellar play on both offense and defense for the Seminoles.

The first quarter showcased two very competitive teams dead set on establishing their identities early on both sides of the ball. Each teams offense went four and out thanks to exemplary play on defense which resulted in the first quarter ending in a 0-0 tie.

The Bulldogs started the second quarter off with a sizable gain and a new set of downs. A few plays later, the Seminoles secondary stepped up to swing the momentum in their favor. Senior Antone Lenard picked off a pass and took it to the house, giving the Seminoles a 7-0 lead with 9 minutes left in the half.

Anticipating the kickoff, the Bulldogs mishandled the kick which resulted in yet another turnover as the Seminoles had come up with the loose ball and great field position.

Capitalizing on the momentous effort from their special teams unit, the Seminoles again found the end zone. This time, their points came on a run play on third-and-7 by senior halfback Amad Mitchell which put the Seminoles up 13-0.

Yet again, the Bulldogs were set to receive the ball from the Seminoles as they did after their last scoring drive. And again, the Bulldogs couldn't handle the kick.

Poised on the goal line, the Seminoles turned their second kickoff recovery into six more points as they drove the score up to 19-0. Opting to go for a two-point conversion, the Seminoles had the end zone again leaving the score 21-0.

The first half came to a close with the Seminoles ahead 21-0, pitching a potential shutout.

As both teams hit the field, the Bulldogs began their run after successfully fielding the kickoff. Rockdale capped off their drive with their only touchdown of the evening which brought the score to 21-7 still in favor of the Seminoles.

Toward the end of the third quarter, Salem's persistent defense recovered another fumble. The Seminoles drove down the field toward the end zone they had been acquainted with for most of the night. Reaching their target destination again, the score then read 28-7 Seminoles as the third quarter came to a close.

The same play that set the tone for the beginning of the game was how the game ended, as both teams forced each other through quite a few four-and-out sequences. As the bleachers cleared and the final seconds ticked away, the Seminoles left their home field victorious 28-7.