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Rock solid

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Defeat was the last thing on the minds of the Mission Bulldogs as they trotted onto their homefield Friday night for a season opener against the Boulder Panthers. After a winless past season, coach Peter Hamilton’s pre-game message to his players was simple: believe. 

They needed to believe in themselves, Hamilton said, and it didn’t take long to show that his words had sunk in. After gaining seven points on their opening drive, the Bulldogs didn’t let up, battling through a heated first half to score three more times before the break. With just under four minutes to go until the half, sophomore Dylan Evans carried the ball a yard for a touchdown, and Mission added an extra point to make the tally 21-14 in the Bulldog’s favor. Then it was the defense’s turn to shine.

After Bulldog defenders Dakota Matt and Nikko Alexander forced a Panther fumble near Boulder’s 3-yard line, junior Austin Durglo snatched up the loose ball and scored again with 1:41 left until halftime. With the scoreboard reading 27 to 14 in their favor, Mission’s fans and sideline erupted into a roar of approval that got even louder when Matt sacked Panther quarterback Tim Mundaniohl to end the half.

In a back-and-forth third quarter, the Panthers managed to push for another touchdown with one minute on the clock, capitalizing on an interception by Mundaniohl. At third-and-8 to begin the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs were unable to get a first down, but a Panther fumble on the punt return was picked up by Dylan Evans. Mission took over at the Boulder 22 but didn’t find the end zone until Durglo intercepted again for a 37-yard touchdown return with a minute left in the game. The final score of 34-21 was a far cry from the 41-7 loss the Bulldogs suffered last year at the Panthers’ claws.

“Last year we had no breaks; this year we got a lot of breaks,” Hamilton said. “It was a great game for us to come out and win ... for us, it’s huge coming from a program that’s very defeated.”

Defensive leaders were sophomore Barret Sargent with 15 tackles, Matt with 13 and Chris McKay with 10. Josh Durglo had 10 tackles, and Nikko Alexander had eight tackles, a sack and a blocked punt. Austin Durglo added two interceptions for touchdowns.

“(Defense) was huge for us,” Hamilton noted. “I’m happy; that was good.”

The Bulldog offense also showed signs of greatness at times, Hamilton said, posting more rushing yards — 184 yards in 40 carries — and showing better ball control than they had in a long time. 

“I’ve got to give it to my young kids (on offensive line),” he said. “(And) I’m happy our ball drills are paying off.”

On the sideline, Mission’s players couldn’t have done a better job cheering on their teammates, and their support paid off.

“We did really good on the sideline,” Hamilton said. “We kept the intensity up.”

For a team ranked last in its conference, Friday’s win was a sorely needed boost, and Hamilton is confident the Bulldogs will continue to improve, starting with their trip to Troy Friday.

“We’re shooting to make a run of it,” Hamilton said. “Hopefully we’re gonna go out and surprise some people.”

 

Summary

St. Ignatius 34, Boulder 21
St. Ignatius   7  20  0  7 — 34
Boulder       14    0  7  0 — 21

 

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