New Head Coach John Kovar and the Thorndale Bulldogs are 1-0 after earning a tough road win against the Dawson Eagles 24-14.
“Overall, I feel like we played pretty well,” Kovar said. The defense played well all night and our offense did enough for us to win. With COVID and all this uncertainty going on, I am honestly just happy the guys were able to get out there and play some football.”
The head coach wasn’t the only new aspect for the Bulldogs. Sophomore Coy Stutts made his first start at quarterback as the Bulldogs showcased their new spread offense.
The game turned out to be a defensive battle as both offenses were held to under 200 total yards. The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard first as Cain Brymer caught a 27-yard pass touchdown from Stutts. The extra point was blocked to make the score 6-0. The Bulldogs’ defense got in on the scoring, too. Defensive End Stryker Leschber scored a 35-yard touchdown retrieving the ball after it popped out of the hands of Mason Lindig during an interception. They failed on the twopoint conversion, making the score 12-0 at the end of the quarter.
In the second quarter, the Bulldogs took a commanding 18-0 lead after Lindig ran for a 5-yard touchdown. Dawson showed up on the scoreboard with 30 seconds left in the half on a 14-yard pass from Cade Onstott to Isiah Johnson.
Defense continued to be the story of the game in the second half as both teams scored only six points for the remainder of the game. However, things did get interesting as Dawson scored a touchdown in the third quarter on a 1-yard run by Ja’mariyea Hamilton. The Eagles converted the two-point conversion to make the score 18-14 heading into the fourth quarter. Thorndale sealed the game with Brymer scoring a oneyard touchdown. They ran out the clock with ball control and great defense to end the game and earn the win.
After the game, Kovar praised his team for the toughness they displayed.
“I felt like the team played really hard,” Kovar said. “We had some cramps and got tired because we have a lot of kids playing both offense and defense. But we just kept fighting and played a smart game. The only thing that didn’t go well were the extra points.”
Stutts had a solid performance in his first start going 8 of 14 for 86 yards, 1 touchdown and no interceptions. Brymer led the team in rushing with 59 yards and a touchdown while Leschber led the team in receiving yards with 12.
The Bulldogs will look to build on their first win as they will travel to face the Snook Bluejays on Friday.
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