Dogs Shutout Mabton For First Win

MABTON - Dayton head football coach Dean Bickel­haupt told his team they had to open big against the Mab­ton Vikings to gain enough momentum to score their first win of the season.

And the team took his advice to heart, taking the Vikings down in a shutout, 39-0.

The Bulldogs took the field and didn't waste a play. Lowden Smith returned the first kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in the first sec­onds of the game.

The point after attempt was unsuccessful, but the Bulldogs weren't satisfied with only six points on the board.

Minutes after Smith's touchdown return, Bulldog Wyatt Frame intercepted a pass and returned it nearly 40 yards for a second touch­down. To make up for the lost point-after attempt earlier in the quarter, the Bulldogs went for a two-point con­version and were met with success, bringing the score to 14-0, Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs rode the high of their 14-point lead through the first quarter, holding the Vikings scoreless and keeping the ball out of scoring territory.

The quarter ended with the Bulldogs still leading, 14-0.

In the second quarter, the Vikings struggled against the Bulldogs' momentum, fighting to maintain posses­sion of the ball. The Vikings were shaken by the Bulldogs' momentum and struggled to connect passes and receivers, turning the ball over before gaining many yards.

The Bulldogs took advan­tage of the Viking's hesita­tions and moved the ball down the field until Smith was able to receive a touch­down pass with 6:54 left in the half. The point after at­tempt was no good, bringing the score to 20-6, Bulldogs.

With the Vikings well in check, the Bulldogs made down the field again, moving systematically into scoring position.

Bulldog Isaiah Lambert kept the ball close, making several great catches before bringing in a touchdown of his own with only 22 seconds left in the half. The point after attempt was good, bringing the score to 27-0 at the half.

In the third quarter, the Vikings started to heat up, moving the ball down the field and putting themselves into scoring position, but they were unable to get into the end zone.

The Bulldogs took ad­vantage of every gap in the Vikings' armor, moving the ball back into the end zone where Dakota Hayes was able to score a touchdown of his own with 5 minutes left in the third quarter. The point after attempt was no good, bringing the score to 33-0.

The Vikings raked up sev­eral first downs before the end of the quarter, but they were unable to put any points on the board.

The Vikings opened the fourth quarter with a close pass that fell incomplete in the end zone. The Bulldogs weren't ready to give up their shutout, pushing back to keep the ball in Viking territory.

With 1:27 left on the clock, Smith moved to widen the lead, breaking down the mid­dle and into the end zone. The point after attempt was no good, bringing the final score to 39-0, Bulldogs.

Bickelhaupt said he told his team not to let the Vikings pick up any momentum and he was happy the team truly listened and acted accordingly.

"It was fun, we had fun do­ing it," Bickelhaupt said.

The Bulldogs' next game will be the District 7/9 cross­over game against Liberty Spangle at 5:30 p.m. on Fri­day, Nov. 2, at Liberty High School.