The 2020 District 10-2A, Division 1 standings will forever show that Garrison qualified for the playoffs as the fourth-place finisher, a spot that doesn’t often lend itself to extended playoff runs. But in a year where the COVID-19 asterisk looms large, the Bulldogs might not be your average fourth-place finisher.

“We are such a young team, and we had our COVID issues early,” first-year coach Brandon Alvarez said. “It seems like we never had the same roster for two weeks in a row, and that was tough because we were still trying to build our program with a new offense, a new defense and a new staff.”

The COVID could hovered over the program well into the regular season. With players sidelined due to a combination of injury and contact tracing, the Bulldogs managed a 2-2 start before sputtering, losing three straight district games to Joaquin, Attoyac rival Timpson and Shelbyville.

The turning point came on Oct. 23, when Alvarez and his staff put things in perspective for a team that was relying on a handful of freshman and only four seniors. Garrison needed to beat San Augustine, which had averaged 13 wins per year since 2017, if it wanted to reach the playoffs.

“We told the kids it’s not about how you start, it’s where you finish,” Alvarez said. “We had played some good teams close, and we knew if we could get into the playoffs, we’d have a chance [to win some games]. Since that day, that’s been our mantra.”

Things clicked in a 32-15 win, and they’ve kept clicking. Garrison rolled into the playoffs with a 50-0 win over West Hardin and then pulled playoff upsets of 10-0 Hawkins, the District 9 champion, and Holland, the District 12 runner-up.

The Bulldogs have combined a stingy defense with an offense that’s taking care of the ball. Garrison hasn’t lost a turnover since falling to Shelbyville on Oct 16. Freshman Brayden Davidson emerged as the quarterback. His reward for winning the job in the preseason was a debut against powerful Waskom, a welcome to high school moment to be sure, Alvarez said.

“That’s quite a difference from eighth grade football,” Alvarez said. “And not only is he our quarterback, he’s been our second leading tackler, too.”

The Bulldogs haven’t asked too much of Davidson the quarterback. By taking care of the ball, he’s kept the defense from finding itself in difficult spots, and he’s making timely plays. His early touchdown pass to Chadrick Henderson proved to be enough to beat Holland Friday, thanks to a defensive effort that held third straight opponent to seven points or fewer.

Against Holland, the defense didn’t allow a first down before halftime, sparked by senior safety Kevin Page’s 17 tackles. Page’s effort came a week after linebacker Shawn Holmes, another senior, made 20 tackles against Hawkins in a 17-7 win.

Now, the previously unassuming fourth seed has a chance to make some real noise. The wins earn the Bulldogs a rematch of the Battle of the Attoyac with Timpson. Though just seven miles apart, this marks only the third time that they’ve met in the postseason. Timpson won the regular season meeting 34-6 in October, and Alvarez has watched them roll all the way to a 12-0 mark.

“They are good,” he said. “If we execute on offense and protect the ball…if we play our best football and our defense plays the way it has been playing, we’ll have a chance.”

Garrison opened the playoffs as an underdog against unbeaten Hawkins and prevailed, so Friday’s atmosphere won’t be anything new.

“Being the underdog is a lot of fun,” Alvarez said. “I just want to see our kids keep playing with the passion they’ve got right now. We are coming out and playing our butts off.”