By LOU MARTIN
The Progress
The big matchup between the Virgin Valley High School Football team and a huge Boulder City squad on Friday, Sept. 16, was as good as it was advertised. The game was dominated by defenses on each side of the field. The game ended with a close Eagles victory, 8-6.
The only negative of the match was the plethora of yellow flags once again. Eighteen penalties were called, which accounted for 125 yards against the Eagles and 30 assessed on the Bulldogs.
The first five possessions resulted in punts as the tough defense of each team controlled the game.
The Eagles managed a drive on their third possession behind the running of Bruce Woodbury. But this drive was stymied by two penalties forcing another punt.
The Bulldogs were stopped, despite getting their initial first down on a pass from Gunner Cortez to Cutler Crandall. Martin Jordan’s punt was fielded by Woodbury and returned to the Eagles 34 yard line.
The first period ended with two Eagle rushes to the Dawgs 46 yard line. The Eagles proceeded to drive down field with Woodbury and Hunter Moore sharing the running duties behind their 6’6’, 280 lb. tackle Dylan Spencer.
Woodbury took an apparent end-around but sliced up the middle for 14 yards and the first score of the game. Eagle Q.B. Jacob Bryant easily scored the two point conversion around the right side of his line making the score 8-0 with 7:46 left in the half.
The score seemed to be a wakeup call for the Bulldogs offense. They finally got their running game going.
The Eagle kickoff set the Dawgs on their own 35 yard line. Three runs by Isaiah Frieling totaling 28 yards, plus a 15 yard Eagle penalty, gave the Dawgs a first down on the Eagles 29 yard line.
A Cortez pass to Jordan set up a first on the Eagles 15 yard marker. Frieling hit the right side for 11 yards setting up Hunter Otteson’s 4 yard smash up the middle for six.
The point after by the Dawgs failed, making the score 8-6 in favor of the Eagles, with 2:38 remaining in the first half of play.
Early in the second half, the Bulldogs found themselves with a big first down on the Eagles one yard line. Shockingly, the Dawgs could not close the deal. Virgin Valley was unable to move the ball on three straight pass attempts giving it back to the Eagles on downs. The third period ended with neither team threatening to score.
The Eagles began the fourth period on their own 30 yard line. But three plays later, Jordan jumped on a loose ball giving the Dawgs a first on the Eagles 27 yard line.
Once more the Bulldogs got within yards of the goal line. Runs by Otteson and Frieling set up a Bulldog first and goal on the Eagles 4 yard line.
Then it stalled. A Bulldog end-around yielded minus six yards. This forced three straight pass attempts, all of which failed. The Eagles defense held once again.
The Bulldogs had one more opportunity with the game on the line. But they could not move the ball past their own 27 yard line. A bad snap on the Dawgs punt forced a pass by punter Jordan who threw it up for grabs. The Eagles intercepted with 4:19 remaining in the game. They proceeded to run out the clock for the win.
Cortez was 7 of 28 for the Bulldogs with only 60 yards passing. He also managed 73 yards rushing against a big Eagles defense.
“The kids played a good defensive game,” said VVHS Coach Matt Woods after the game. “But we knew that early season would be tough. We made some mistakes. The red zone is always tough and limits play calling, but the final decision is always on me. We face another tough test next week. We suffered only one injury during this hard fought game.”
In regards to the injury, VVHS and CCSD better hope that a trainer becomes available soon. The injured player seemed to have a bad concussion. But without a trainer on the field to diagnose the problem very little could be done.
The Bulldogs defensive line will be tested next week as Somerset Academy Losee comes to town. The Lions feature running back Malachi Johnson who has averaged 158 yards per game. The Bulldogs meanwhile need to win out the schedule to take their league.
