The CHS football team stepped onto the field Friday night for its match against BCC and delivered a big win for the first game of the season, beating the Barons with a final score of 39-0.
After losing to the Barons 25-15 during the team’s 1-9 season last year, the Bulldogs were ready to redeem themselves.
“We have tried to put last year’s season behind us,” head coach Joe Allen said. “The guys have worked so hard in the offseason to prepare for this game and they showed it tonight.”
The Bulldogs started the game strong, scoring 23 points in the first quarter alone with three touchdowns and a 24 yard field goal by senior kicker Elliot Thaker. Junior running back Andrew Zuckerman scored two touchdowns for CHS on 35 and 51 yard runs, contributing to his 99 yards and 6 carries on the ground in the first quarter.
“We were able to utilize a lot of our speed and space, and we are looking forward to a big year,” Allen said. “We didn’t play our best ball tonight and we feel like we can do a lot better as we go down the road.”
One of the most influential players in the game was senior linebacker/running back Blake Dove, who starred on both offensive and defensive sides of the game. He scored two touchdowns for the Bulldogs, the first on a BCC fumble return between Zuckerman’s touchdowns in the first quarter and the second on a 21 yard run with 28 seconds left in the second quarter.
On the defensive side, Dove made 12 tackles and two sacks.
“It feels really good to be back,” Dove said. “We dominated BCC, the crowd was loud and everybody was energized.”
The fourth touchdown came in the third quarter from junior quarterback Colin Smyth connecting a 13 yard pass to senior wide receiver Jesse Locke, putting the Bulldogs up 36-0. Both Locke and senior Juwan Hamelin had interceptions for the CHS defense to stop the Barons attack.
“We have the capability to score points and stop people on defense,” Allen said. “We just have to stay focused, stay together as a team and continue to improve.”
Senior running back Marquette Lewis would have added another touchdown to the Bulldog’s tally with a 65 yard punt return, but the play was called back for a touch-block penalty.
The last three points of the game were scored in the fourth quarter by Thaker on a 37 yard field goal set up by a punt block and recovery by senior linebacker Nathan Chung. Thaker, a first-year football player, scored a total of nine points in his first game for the Bulldogs.
“Its surreal,” Thaker said. “ I’ve never played football in my life and to be here under the lights, there’s nothing like it.”
The Bulldog’s next test is an away game Friday Sept. 12 against Walter Johnson.
