PLANTERSVILLE — The Holtville High Bulldogs squeaked out a 13-8 victory over the Dallas County Hornets Friday night in a game that Bulldogs head coach Hunter Adams said took a few years off of his life.

“We’ve been in quite a few close games this year and it feels good to be on the winning side of one,” Adams said. “Our defense played their guts out. They really came through for us; when our offense was sputtering, our defense just went out there and made plays.”

The win puts the Bulldogs at 1-6 overall and 1-4 in the region.

The loss drops Dallas County to 2-5 overall and 0-5 in the region.

Hornet head coach Barry Colburn said he was proud of his team’s defensive effort, but breakdowns on offense cost his team the game.

“We held them to 13 points, we should have been able to win,” Colburn said. “We should be able to score more points than that.”

The Bulldogs got on the board first with a 4-yard run by quarterback Dalton Speigner. Both teams had trouble moving the ball until Holtville scored with 1:49 left in the third quarter on a 13-yard rushing touchdown. The field goal was blocked to put the score at 13-0.

But the game wasn’t over yet. Hornets quarterback Prince Tolbert threw a 24-yard touchdown to Rickey Smith. to make the score 13-8. A successful onside kick recovery gave the Hornets hope, but in the end the Bulldogs defense held strong.

Dallas County will play at Childersburg High School next week.