Four weeks into the season, the Dove Creek Bulldogs’ football team is on a roll, and thus far, the team is showing no signs of slowing down.
Showcasing a combination of speed, balance and efficiency, the Bulldogs blew out Elbert High School in Sargent, Colo., on Sept. 14 by a score of 60-14. With the win, the Bulldogs improved to 3-1 on the season.
After a slow first quarter start that concluded with the score tied 8-8, the Bulldogs turned it on, scoring 32 points in the second quarter to take a 40-6 halftime lead.
“We started off slow, but I’m not sure that it wasn’t due to the bus ride over,” said Bulldogs’ head coach Shane Baughman. “The first quarter we were sluggish, but after that, we picked it up pretty good.”
Continuing to apply pressure in the second half, Dove Creek scored 14 points in the third quarter before adding another 6 points in the fourth quarter to secure the 60-14 victory.
Bulldogs quarterback Jordan Ernst completed nine of his 10 passes for 148 yards and 1 touchdown.
“The passing game is coming along,” said Baughman. “(Ernst), with every game, is getting better and better at the quarterback position.”
Heading up the Bulldogs’ rushing attack for the third consecutive week was Chance Randolph who registered 81 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. Also running impressively for the Bulldogs were Case Baughman, who rushed for 53 yards and one touchdown and Nick Jones, who rushed for 33 yards and two touchdowns.
“It helps us a ton (to have multiple players running the ball),” Baughman said. “One of our philosophies is that we want to try to not have one guy carry the team. We try to spread it out as much as we can.”
Leading the Bulldogs in receiving was Randolph with 59 yards, and Baughman with 47 yards and one touchdown.
Anchoring a staunch Bulldogs’ defense, Randolph recorded seven total tackles.
“The defense cleaned things up a little bit this week,” said Baughman. “Our pass coverage was a little more solid, and that helped us out a bunch.”
Next on the Bulldogs’ schedule is a home matchup against Plateau Valley High School at 7 p.m. Sept. 20.