Bolles Blanks Mandarin Christian 20-0 in Weather-shortened Game
An evening deluge was not enough to dampen the determination of the Bolles Bulldogs middle school football team as they beat visiting Mandarin Christian (0-5) by a score of 20-0 to improve their record to 5-0. The October 3 game was officially called completed at halftime due to lightning.
The Bulldog defense came out strong on the Eagles' first series with standout plays by Charlie Burnett, Robbie Pye, Will Robertson, and Alex Ivanov. Greg Rogowski and Connor Smith teamed up for a takedown of the Mandarin Christian punter at the Eagle 13 as he scrambled to make a play following a bad snap on fourth down and 10. Sam Kelley wasted no time in scoring for Bolles as he ran in a touchdown with 5:45 remaining in the first quarter. A successful pass from quarterback Cam McCurry to Luke Viering made the score 8-0.
Mandarin Christian began its second series at their own 38-yard line after a kickoff by Bulldog Tommy Kelley. Once again the defense provided outstanding play from defensive backs Smith and Robertson who forced the Eagles to go three and out. A block in the back by Bolles nullified a 45-yard punt return by Tommy Kelley, but superior passing from McCurry to Hayden Hurst set the Bulldogs up for another score. This time a fumbled pitch from the Bolles quarterback was picked up by Sam Kelley who ran it 40-yards for the touchdown. An incomplete pass on the point after left the score 14-0 with 2:35 remaining in the first quarter.
After a 26-yard kickoff by Tommy Kelley, the Eagles opened their next series by throwing an interception to Bulldog David Wilf. A nice run by Craig Walker set Bolles up at the Eagle 5-yard line, and a five-yard pass from Colby Peters to Wilf raised the score 20-0 with 1:04 to go in the first quarter. The point after was incomplete.
Although there was no more scoring in the game, intense defensive play was provided by Drew Steers, Ivanov, Holton Lane, Rogowski, Marcus Dunlop, Andrew Pataky, and Pye. A 20-yard punt return by Tommy Kelley set up the Bulldogs final series at the Eagle 15-yard line. Connor Kaegi got in some snaps at quarterback and Wilf provided some nice gains before the Bulldogs turned the ball over on downs. The final series by Mandarin Christian was ended by lightning which forced the game to be called.
Despite the brutal weather, Bolles head coach Tom Collins was pleased with the effort and said, “Regardless of the rain, it was a chance for some of our young guys to get in there and get some experience. This was a really nice opportunity for them.”