The Dora Bulldogs closed their 2026 football season on Oct. 30 with a 49-14 loss at Cordova, finishing 2-8 for the second straight year after scoring 124 points and allowing 336.
How the season unfolded
Dora started 0-2 and never recovered, and the closest early call was a 13-7 home loss to Oakman on Aug. 28, a one-score game. They opened the year with a 42-0 loss at Corner on Aug. 21, then bounced back on Sept. 4 with a 36-14 home win over Carver Birmingham, the high point of the early schedule.
Region play brought the hardest stretch. Dora lost 60-6 at Wenonah, 33-14 to Oak Grove at home and 52-0 at Shades Valley, with the Bulldogs failing to reach the end zone in the Shades Valley game. Dora then came within three points of a region win on Oct. 9, falling 13-10 to Fairfield at home.
The best night of the year followed a week later. Dora beat Woodlawn 37-6 on Oct. 16, its highest point total of the year, against a season average of 12.4 points per game. The surge did not carry over: the Bulldogs were shut out 54-0 at Center Point on Oct. 23 and lost 49-14 at Cordova in the Oct. 30 finale. Dora finished last in its 4A Region 5 standings.
The gap between home and road was stark. At home, Dora went 2-3 and outscored opponents 104-79. On the road, the Bulldogs went 0-5 and were outscored 257-20. Three of the five road games ended in shutouts against Dora, and those three games alone (Corner, Shades Valley, Center Point) produced 148 points allowed.
Game-by-game results
Dora went 2-8 overall, with a bye on Sept. 25. Scores show Dora first.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 21 | Corner | Away | L | 0-42 |
| Aug. 28 | Oakman | Home | L | 7-13 |
| Sept. 4 | Carver Birmingham | Home | W | 36-14 |
| Sept. 11 | Wenonah | Away | L | 6-60 |
| Sept. 18 | Oak Grove | Home | L | 14-33 |
| Oct. 2 | Shades Valley | Away | L | 0-52 |
| Oct. 9 | Fairfield | Home | L | 10-13 |
| Oct. 16 | Woodlawn | Home | W | 37-6 |
| Oct. 23 | Center Point | Away | L | 0-54 |
| Oct. 30 | Cordova | Away | L | 14-49 |
Bright spots
Senior quarterback Samuel Williams carried the offense, leading the team in rushing at 77.3 yards per game and scoring six touchdowns, all on the ground, according to MaxPreps leaderboards compiled after Dora’s seventh game (the Oct. 9 Fairfield loss). He completed 29.8 percent of his passes. Fellow senior Ashton Davis was next at 51.2 rushing yards per game and Zamarcus Robinson third at 31.8, with one rushing touchdown each.
On defense, senior outside linebacker Grayson Stephenson led the team at 9.0 tackles per game. Brody Tolbert averaged 7.0 and Jaxson Hart 6.8. Sophomore Sawyer Pruden had two fumble recoveries and an interception, and senior Gavin Thompson also had an interception. Robinson, Caden Boshell and Tolbert each had one sack.
Most of the players named on those leaderboards are seniors, so the 2027 team will need new playmakers. These figures run through seven of the 10 games, and final season totals may differ.
Looking back and ahead
The 2026 record matches 2025, when Dora also went 2-8 but scored 158 points and allowed 349, according to AHSFHS.org. That means Dora scored 34 fewer points this year and allowed 13 fewer. Last year’s two wins came over Haleyville and, by 33-32, over Cordova.
This year’s meeting with Cordova went the other way. The rivalry stood at 44 wins apiece and one tie through 89 games before the 2026 game, so the Blue Devils now hold a 45-44-1 edge. Cordova finished the regular season 7-3 and then won a playoff game at Pike County, 47-21.