Bulldogs Put Up Fight Against Irish

DAYTON - Friday night's next-to-last regular season football game in Dayton excited the home crowd. Though the Bulldogs lost 24-7, Dayton started strong and managed to hold its own against the higher-ranking DeSales Irish. "The played hard," head coach Dean Bickelhaupt said. "They had a lot of heart." Even with their 1-3 league record, it is conceivable the Bulldogs could go to the playoffs since they share their record with TOR and TCP. TOR plays first-ranked Waitsburg-Prescott on Fri­day, while TCP plays second-ranked DeSales. If all three teams lose, a tie breaker will decide who will go to the playoffs and Dayton will have as good a shot as any, Bickelhaupt said. If Dayton wins and the oth­ers lose, the Bulldogs will be guaranteed a spot. In the first quarter of their "fighting" game, the Bull­dogs received the ball and drove it hard all the way down to the 40-yard-line where quarterback Colton Bickelhaupt, under intense pressure, threw a touchdown to Albert Yacovelli in the first few minutes of the game. The crowd went wild, and the players were ecstatic. The extra point was good, and the Bulldogs were up 7-0. Immediately, DeSales' Ryan Baumgart answered with a touchdown. The extra point was good, and the game was tied 7-7.

In the second quarter, De­Sales finished their drive with a touchdown but missed the extra point.

A few plays later, the Irish went for a third touchdown. DeSales' Nick Wales reached the end zone, but a holding penalty on their side brought the ball back onto the field for a third down. The Irish quarterback tried for a pass, but Dayton's Yacovelli intercepted it at the 30-yard-line. Rain came halfway through the second quarter, but lasted only a few minutes. Yacovelli was injured in a tackle on the sidelines, but he quickly returned to the field with a wrapped ankle. DeSales' Wales made it to the end zone again, this time scoring a touchdown for the Irish. Instead of kicking for the extra point, DeSales threw the ball in for an extra two points. Dayton made no headway during its play, but Kroft Sunderland showed initiative as the Irish took possession of the ball just before halftime.

33 minutes to go on the clock, Sunderland sacked the Irish quarterback, again sending the home crowd and his teammates into a frenzy.

Neither team progressed in the third quarter, but Day­ton's Joey Schlachter man­aged another quarterback sack, forcing the Irish to punt. The score remained 21-7 going into the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs worked tirelessly to keep DeSales from the end zone. Players yelled encouragements to each other, "We cannot let them score. Don't let them through." But the support worked. The Irish managed one field goal midway through the quarter but were otherwise unsuccessful against the Dayton defense for the re­mainder of the game.

DeSales Vs Dayton

24-7

Dayton - Rushing for 101 total yards with Dain Henderson 12 for 61; Colton Bickelhaupt 4 for 21; Josh Frame 13 for 33; Lowden Smith 1 for 2; and Riley Ste­vens 2 for 5; Passing: Bickelhaupt was 4 for 10 with 74 yards;

Receiving: Albert Yacov­elli 2 for 30 yards, Wyatt Frame 1 for 17 and Garett Turner 1 for 27.