42-13 Win
The Bulldogs headed west to take on the Knights of Peoria Richwoods in the regular season finale. It was a Friday night, but it just didnโt have the Friday Night Lights vibe. The Bulldogs fans at least matched the home team in attendance; maybe exceed it. The Bulldog fans were loud just as they always are in what was a sparsely attended game by the home Knights.
Nonetheless, the Bulldogs had a job to do, and that was to execute and win. And that was what they did.
All 42 points were scored in the first half. In the first quarter, the Bulldogs got on the board first after the Bulldogs drove down the field and Cade Ashby punched it in for the touchdown. The Bulldogs then scored again on a deep pass from Luke Dyer to Ray Long. At the end of the first quarter, the Bulldogs were up 14-0.
In the second quarter, the offensive onslaught continued. They opened the second quarter with a Luke Dyer touchdown strike, and on fourth down, to Wade Manuel to put the Bulldogs up 21-0. Brock VanDeveer and Cade Ashby added two rushing touchdowns in the second frame. The final score of the quarter was a 13-yard touchdown reception by Ray Long.
The Bulldog defense was once again relentless and stingy. They did not allow any points in the first half and were aggressive. Forcing turnovers and slowing an athletic Knights team.
With a running clock in the second half, it didnโt take long to wrap this game up. The Knights first string was able to put 13 points on the board against the Bulldogs scout team.
As the horn sounded, the regular season wrapped up for the Bulldogs. They ended their 2024 regular season campaign with a 7-2 record and have won six straight games. Four of those games in this streak were on the road.
On Saturday night, the team got together to watch the reveal of the 2024 IHSA State Playoff brackets. The Bulldogs will be the 3rd seed in the South 5A bracket. Their Round One opponent will be Sacred Heart-Griffin. This Round 1 playoff game will take place at home on Friday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m.
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The Bulldog offense accumulated 294 total yards, with 228 yards in the air and 66 yards on the ground.
Luke Dyer ended the night 10/16 passing with 228 yards and three touchdowns. Dyer now has 2,386 yards on the season with 28 touchdowns. Dyer passed Bodie Reeder (2004 season) for third on the all-time MSHS passing yards list in a season. He is 126 yards away from passing Wyatt Bohmโs 2022 season mark and 786 yards away from passing Bohmโs 2021 season record for most all-time passing yards in a season, which is 3,171 yards.
Dyerโs 28 passing touchdowns on the season currently stands in second place on the all-time MSHS records. He is 5 passing touchdowns away from being the single-season passing touchdown record holder. Bohm holds that record at 32 passing touchdowns in the 2022 season.
Dyerโs main target against Richwoods was Ray Long. Long had five catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Mason Orton ended with two receptions for 61 yards. Gavin Hammerschmidt had one reception for 30 yards. Wade Manuel added a receiving touchdown and ended with 19 yards receiving.
On the ground, Cade Ashby had 17 carries for 56 yards and two touchdowns. Brock VanDeveer only had two carries, but one was a touchdown.
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The Bulldog defense was great once again, and many Bulldogs got in on the action, holding the Knights to 236 yards of total offense and scoreless in the first half.
Beau Back led the Bulldogs with 6 tackles. AJ Demos and Henry Wagner each recorded 4 tackles. Talon Decker had 3 tackles.
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Jackson Davis was once again perfect on his six extra-point attempts. Davis is 52-55 on extra-point attempts this season and extends his record-breaking streak of consecutive conversions to 39. He is currently 7 extra point conversions away from tying the school record of 59 extra point conversions in a season. Kyle Walmer holds that record from the 2022 season. Davis continues to dazzle special teams with his precise execution of onside kicks as well as being able to place the ball in the endzone on kickoffs.
The Bulldogs open up postseason play when they host Sacred Heart-Griffin in Round 1 of the 2024 IHSA 5A Football Playoffs. That game will kick off at 7 p.m. at Frank Dutton Field in Mahomet. It will be a packed house! If you havenโt experienced a home playoff game at Frank Dutton Field, make plans to be there. It is special and thrilling.
Go Bulldogs!
This Week in Bulldog Athletics - Overtime 