Prison Break
Bulldogs bust out 28 unanswered points to upset Wardens
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The Bulldogs erased a two-touchdown, first-half deficit by scoring 28 unanswered points to escape Deer Lodge with a 28-14 victory.
“I don’t know. Something just clicked, and they decided to play.” Mission coach Peter Hamilton said of the Bulldogs’ second-half surge.
The running game is what clicked for the Bulldogs. They amassed 292 yards on the ground, averaging 5.5 yards a carry. Using the wishbone and a playbook with only seven plays, the Bulldogs didn’t try to disguise what they do best.
“It’s just ground and pound,” is how Hamilton described the Bulldogs’ running attack. “We just run it down people’s throat. It’s just straight up running.”
It was Choteau transfer Chris McKay who carried the heaviest load for the Bulldogs Friday night. The senior carried the ball 17 times for 130 yards and had a 4-yard touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 21-14 lead in the fourth quarter. It was the second straight game McKay hit the century mark.
Hamilton said that McKay is their workhorse and a balanced running back.
“He’s not the fastest guy, but he’s not slow. He’s not the biggest guy, but he definitely brings it when he runs,” Hamilton said.
After falling behind 14-0 on two big plays – a 36-yard pass and a 58-yard run – the Bulldogs used a big play of their own to get on the board in the third quarter. Facing a fourth-and-15 on Deer Lodge’s 30-yard line, Austin Durglo connected with Dylan Evans for a long TD strike to pull within a touchdown. It was their only completion in the game. The Bulldogs next score also came on a fourth-down play, when Evans took it in from the 9. Coming through in the clutch is something the Bulldogs couldn’t do last season.
“We’re finding ways to win, instead of finding ways to lose. It seemed like last year we would find ways to lose,” Hamilton said.
Both teams moved the ball, Deer Lodge finished with 155 yards on the ground and 91 in the air.
“They moved the ball, but when the game was on the line they didn’t make plays and we did,” Hamilton said.
The Bulldogs’ biggest play from scrimmage was a 37-yard Durglo touchdown run to end the scoring in the game. Their defense also came up with some big plays, with Barret Sargent and Austin Durglo pulling down interceptions and Dakota Gun Hammer recovering a fumble. Gun Hammer led the Bulldogs with 10 tackles. McKay and Lane Wheeler each had nine.
The Bulldogs will host Thompson Falls for homecoming Friday. The Bluehawks are 0-3, but Hamilton said their record is misleading.
“We’re going to have to limit our mistakes and not give up the big plays,” Hamilton said.
Summary
Mission 0 0 13 15–28
Deer Lodge 7 7 0 0–14
D - Bobby Ray 36 pass from Robert Stone (Ray kick)
D - Patrick Ryan 58 run (Ray kick)
M- Dylan Evans 30 pass from Austin Durglo (Josh Durglo kick)
M - Evans 9 run (kick blocked)
M - Chris McKay 4 run (McKay run)
M - A. Durglo 37 run (J. Durglo kick)
