Sprinting to playoffs
Bulldogs seniors lead way to win
Rob Zolman
Mission Bulldog quarterback Isaac Dumontier pushes for a first down.
Rob Zolman
Mission Bulldog quarterback Kellen McClure connects with running back Layne Spidel for a second quarter touchdown.
Rob Zolman
Mission Bulldog defensive back Darwin Adams wraps up a Titan runner.
Rob Zolman
Rob Zolman
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ST. IGNATIUS – Under the lights on Friday evening, the Mission Bulldogs captured a 50-36 win over the Flint Creek Titans to put an exclamation point on Senior Night and secure a spot in the upcoming playoffs.
“The win on Senior Night was special,” said Bulldog head coach Tyler Murray. “At one point on defense, we had eight seniors out on the field.”
The Bulldogs made fans nervous in the opening minutes of the first quarter by fumbling the ball and allowing the Titans to score 14 unanswered points. With three minutes left in the first quarter and trailing the Titans 14-0, Bulldog freshman quarterback Kellen McClure completed a pass to Layne Spidel for a 30-yard touchdown.
Down 14-8, the Bulldogs’ defense shut down the Flint Creek offense, forcing the Titans to return the ball to the Bulldogs with less than a minute left in the first quarter. McClure took to the air for a Charley Adams 29-yard touchdown pass to close out the first quarter, giving the Bulldogs a 16-14 lead.
The Titans quickly regained the lead 20-16 in the opening minutes of the second quarter, but the lead was short-lived as McClure led the Bulldogs to 22 straight points to finish the first half with a 38-20 advantage over the Titans.
The Bulldog defense held the Titans scoreless in the third quarter, while the Mission bench finished the game in the fourth quarter.
“These kids have been moving through the season one game at a time, but I know they have had Flint Creek in the back of their mind the whole time,” said coach Murray. “It was a great overall team win that started a touch shaky, down 14-0. I’m very proud of our team for competing all week in practice and on game night. We had some underclassmen step up and play hard for those seniors.”
McClure had 20-of-28 in passing for 332 yards and five touchdowns for the Bulldogs, while Troy Matt tallied 69 yards rushing on 21 carries and Isaac Dumontier rushed eight times for 24 yards and two touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the ball, senior Trance Bird snagged two interceptions and came up with a fumble recovery. He also had five tackles and a sack. John Komotios, Joe Stults and Jedi Christy each added an interception.
The Bulldogs look to win their seventh game in a row and move to 8-1 on the season when they travel to Darby on Friday to take on the 4-3 Tigers. The Tigers recently came off a 42-14 conference home win over the Charlo Vikings.
