Bulldogs Blow By Jaguars Friday

DAYTON - Using excellent defense, the Dayton Bulldogs beat the Tri Cities Prep Jaguars 30-0 at Dayton's Homecoming game on Friday night.

The crowd was decked out in Crimson and Gold in the Bulldog stands as alumni returned for the big game. The team ran out onto the field and a fireworks display to the "Star Spangled Banner" kicked off the game play.

The game started shaky. Following the kickoff, a scramble on the field landed a yellow flag in the Bulldog's favor. The Bulldog's held TCP's advances at bay and Joey Schlachter made a quarterback sack, giving TCP a fourth down and a long way to go to its end zone.

Unfortunately, Friday's game saw many errors especially in incomplete passes. The Bulldogs took possession of the ball in the first quarter. Colton Bickelhaupt's throws to Wyatt Frame just didn't stick. After two incomplete passes by the Bulldogs, the team kicks it and TCP caught it and ran, gaining 15 yards for the Jaguars. However, TCP is plagued by the same incomplete passes curse Friday night and faced incomplete passes and tackles by the Bulldogs, making it unable to put any points on the board. Each time TCP tried to run the ball, the Bulldog defense took them down.

With Bulldog's back on offense and the first quarter ticking away, the Bulldogs hesitated, dancing around the TCP defense with the ball rather than charging forward. Because of this, Bickelhaupt wasn't able to gain many more yards with the ball.

With 4:15 left in the first and no points on the board from either team, TCP fumbles a kick. Bulldog Garett Turner took down Jaguar Jameson Pedersen on the Jaguar's 36-yeard line and more TCP incomplete passes and a kick that wasn't received put the Bulldogs back to first and 10 with 3:31 in the first quarter.

The end of the first quarter had mistakes on the Bulldogs' side because of miscommunication.

TCP kept making offensive errors and the Bulldogs kept holding them back despite their own offensive troubles.

At 1:08 left in the first, TCP fumbled the ball and the Bulldog's recovered, but it was no good.

Isaiah Lambert caught a TCP pass and ran the ball to the 35-yard line and fumbled.

The scoreboard doesn't change in the second quarter

A failed punt by TCP recovered by Dayton at 5:59 in the second gave way to Lambert to easily take the ball in 10 yards to the Bulldog end zone for the first touchdown of the night.

Turner tried to take it in again rather than attempting a kick for an extra point, but doesn't make it to the end zone.

Following more incomplete passes and not much yardage gained by TCP, Lambert again makes an easy touchdown with 2:28 in the second quarter, putting the score to 12-0. Bickelhaupt tried to run the ball in again and the effort fell short.

The Bulldogs intercept a TCP pass and take it to the Bulldog 15-yard line for a first and 10, but after two failed attempts to take it in all the way and incomplete passes the clock runs out and it's still 12-0 at halftime.

The second half of the game goes a bit better for the Bulldogs and TCP stays in about the same place.

At 9:44 in the third, TCP manages to carry the ball well, but incomplete passes and offensive pass interference add to its troubles.

With about 2.5 minutes left in the third, Turner catches a touchdown pass and carries it into the end zone about 30 yards, putting the Bulldogs at 18-0. The Bulldogs attempted a kick for the extra point, but it's no good.

The fourth quarter starts out 18-0 and there's plenty of laundry on the field during the quarter, even one flag for unsportsmanlike conduct by TCP.

After a couple of carry attempts by Lambert that only gain about three yards, Bickelhaupt gets his chance and made his way around the back of the lineup for an easy wide open touchdown carry that puts the Dogs up 24-0. A penalty kick attempt fails to put another point on the board with about 8 minutes left in the game.

The final score of the game happened after Lambert intercepted a TCP pass and carried it to the 45-yard line.

Bickelhaupt made the next carry to the 10-yard line and managed to take it in and up the score to 30-0. A kick was attempted and failed.

The Bulldog put in its JV players at 4:46 in the fourth and they managed to keep TCP from scoring the rest of the game.

Head coach Dean Bickelhaupt was elated at the homecoming victory and was in good spirits despite the fact that his team dumped ice water on him in the last seconds of the game.

"It was fantastic," Bickelhaupt said of the victory. "I knew if we played our game we could get the 'W.'"

Bickelhaupt said he was nervous for his team during the first quarter, but the defense played phenomenally.

"I'm proud of each and every one of those kids," he said.