With a victory under their belt from a 24-12 win against the Ridgewood rebels, the Bulldogs are going into the playoffs looking to strike again.
The Bulldogs started the season by packing into the buses and heading down to face the Metamora Redbirds. In the Bulldogs’ first game, they managed to throw up 41 points against the Redbirds who went on to be second in state. Even with the impressive show of offensive force the Bulldogs fell with an end score of 52-41.
The bulldogs then faced the Nazareth Roadrunners at home. The bulldogs misfired that night and lost in a crushing defeat of 51-7.
After being routed, the bulldogs went into their third game against Robeson looking to get their first game the season. The Bulldogs came out firing on all cylinders and crushed the Robeson Raiders 65-26.
After this victory things were looking up for the Bulldogs as they headed into week four, which was the start of the conference play. In a surprise upset, the bulldogs lost to the Fenton Bison, in an upset of 33-22.
Since that day, the bulldogs have gone undefeated and ended up with a record of 6-3. The Bulldogs now face the playoffs. Leading the offense is senior Mark McDonagh who has not only broken tackles for touchdowns, but also almost every single receiver record in the state. The Bulldogs will now face their first opponent, Hubbard, this Friday at Gately Stadium in Chicago.
The Bulldogs are confident for this game, “We got a good draw,” said quarterback Billy VandeMerkt. Billy has completed 237 passes this season for 2648 yards, and averages 294.2 yards per game. The Bulldogs are looking to strike fast, and score points and then let their stellar defense take the field.
The Bulldogs are going to be playing Hubbard, a team that has gone through the season as 7-2 and is ranked six while the Bulldogs come in a eleventh with a record of 6-3.
If the Bulldogs can beat Hubbard, they will either be playing ranked three Chicago Robeson who the Bulldogs beat 65-26 or the Crystal Lake who is ranked tenth.
The Bulldogs are excited and ready to strike on both sides of the ball. When the bulldogs have won it was due greatly to the defense who in their six wins let up less then ten points per game. “When everyone does their job we play well, which leads to a more aggressive attitude,” said senior defensive tackle Vince Arvis. When the Bulldogs lose however they lose big [averaging about 45 points per game let up].
They key to a Bulldogs Victory is for them to get up early, and get points on the board. When the Bulldogs win they have outscored their opponents 221-55. If the season is going to be any indication of the game expect the bulldogs to up at least 32 points, in what will prove to be a shoot out as Hubbard is averaging a total of 31 points per game.
The Hubbard Greyhounds are led by quarter back Quincy Skanes and rusher Jerome Laseter.
Hubbard is by no means the toughest team they have met all year, but it’s not going to be a walkthrough. The Bulldogs are going to have to bring it all together to advance into the next round.
