24-21 Loss
The stage was set at Frank Dutton Field on the first Friday night of November. The weather was perfect, the crowd was great, and the buildup all week for the opening round of the 2024 IHSA Playoffs had finally arrived.
The Bulldogs marched down the hill to the beat of their drum, and as they hit the field, everything was under a cloud of orange smoke. HERE COME THE BULLDOGS was heard over the speakers as an amped up Bulldog Nation roared.
The time had come for the game to begin. Postseason football!
The Bulldogs welcomed the Cyclones from Sacred Heart-Griffin (SHG). It was a matchup between two talented teams that were very comparable in many facets of the game.
The Cyclones possessed the ball first, and the Bulldog defense forced the Cyclones to punt. The Bulldog offense was able to move the ball down the field to the SHG 37-yard line. SHG forced a fumble on a blindside hit on Luke Dyer, and they recovered the football. However, the Bulldog defense held strong and forced SHG to punt again. This was the story of the first quarter. Neither team was able to sniff the endzone, and the quarter ended scoreless.
SHG had the ball to start the second quarter, and the Bulldog defense once again forced them to punt. The Bulldog offense was pinned on their own 3-yard line to start this drive. The offense started to find a grove on this drive. With some key runs by Brock VanDeveer and Cade Ashby, along with some key receptions by Mason Orton and Ray Long, the Bulldogs found themselves inside SHG’s 10-yard line. Dyer connected with Gavin Hammerschmidt on a short pass, and Hammerschmidt darted to the endzone to put the Bulldogs on the board first. A successful PAT by Jackson Davis put the Bulldogs up 7-0 with 5:18 left in the second quarter.
The Cyclones would march their way down the field to inside the Bulldog 5-yard line. On third down, Ethan Esker had a huge sack that forced a fourth down in which the Cyclones elected to kick a field goal. The field goal would be good and would trim the Bulldogs lead and make the score 7-3 Bulldogs with 32 seconds left in the half. The half would end, and the Bulldogs went into halftime with the lead.
The Bulldogs received the opening kick in the third quarter. The Bulldog offense overcame some penalties on the second half opening drive and found themselves on the SHG 12-yard line. On fourth down and two yards to go, the Bulldogs ran the ball but were unable to move the chains.
SHG successfully moved the ball down the field in the air and were also aided by a couple Bulldog passing interference penalties. With 4:37 left in the third quarter, the Cyclones quarterback scrambled and found an open man in the endzone for a touchdown. The Bulldogs were now down by a score of 10-7.
On the next Bulldog possession, they were forced to punt. SHG would end the third quarter with a deep reception inside the redzone. At the end of three quarters, the Bulldogs were still down by a score of 10-7.
SHG had the ball at the beginning of the fourth quarter and were at the Bulldog 5-yard line. The SHG quarterback scrambled and dashed towards the endzone, but Beau Back stripped the football and Henry Wagner recovered it in a huge play with 11:14 remaining in the game.
However, the Bulldog offensive drive was cut short when the Cyclones intercepted a Dyer pass near the Bulldog’s 30-yard line. On the very next play, the Cyclones found the endzone. The Bulldogs are now down 17-10 with 7:49 left in the game.
With a sense of urgency, the Bulldogs had some key receptions from Long and Wade Manuel, and before you knew it, the Bulldogs were inside the 5-yard line and knocking on the door. Cade Ashby would punch it in for a touchdown, and with a successful PAT by Davis, the Bulldogs were down 13-17 with 6:14 remaining.
Everyone had a feeling it was time for a Jackson Davis special, and it was the special that we got.
An onside kick that was recovered by Bulldog Ethan Esker. With just over six minutes left in the game, the Bulldogs were in business.
The Bulldogs were at the SHG 48-yard line but quickly found themselves with a fourth down and seven yards to go. Dyer found a wide-open Mason Orton at the 20-yard line, who then ran it into the endzone, and Bulldog Nation was going crazy at Frank Dutton Field.
A Jackson Davis PAT was good, and the Bulldogs were up 21-17 with 4:48 left in the game. Everyone just had a feeling that may have been the game-winning touchdown, but still a lot of time on the clock.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Bulldogs pinned the Cyclones back on their own 15-yard line. A quarterback keeper got them just past the 20-yard line. On the very next play, the SHG quarterback found his receiver down the sideline and took it the distance for a 77-yard touchdown. SHG regained the lead, and the Bulldogs were down 24-21.
On the Bulldogs next possession, they were able to get to the SHG 44-yard line. Dyer stepped into the pocket and got hit as he threw the football, and SHG intercepted the pass at the 15-yard line. The Bulldogs had all of their timeouts and needed a defensive stand. On third and eight, the defense made a stop in what appeared to be just short of the first down marker. But a very favorable spot gave SHG a first down, and they would run the clock down to zero.
The Bulldogs fought extremely hard in this game, as they have all year. They never gave in, and they never gave up until the final horn. Only 32 teams in Class 5A got into the playoffs, and only one team will end their season with a win. The heartbreak of this loss was felt, but there is a lot to be proud of this season.
The Bulldogs finish the season with a 7-3 record. Their three losses this season came to playoff perennial programs by a combined 12 points. In fact, this year’s team gave up the fewest point on average in school history at 14.3 ppg (143 total points allowed over 10 games). They dominated the Apollo Conference, going a perfect 5-0 to claim the conference title, their fourth undefeated conference championship in a row. Luke Dyer and Trey Peters entered the IHSA history books in the Morton game Week 1, and many more memories along the way.
A special shoutout to the 22 seniors who have played their final Bulldog football game. This group of seniors has been a big part of the Bulldogs’ success under Coach Adkins. They proudly carried the flag of success from the classes before them, and they have now passed that flag to the next class.
Thank you to the entire football team and staff for taking us on a ride this fall. You were easy to get behind and root for each and every week.
In the midst of wins, losses, and records, remember that it is always a great day when you get to put on a Bulldog uniform. You’re Dawgs!
Offense
The Bulldog offense accumulated 397 total yards, with 291 yards in the air and 106 yards on the ground.
Luke Dyer ended the night 22/44 passing with 291 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Dyer ended his season with 2,677 yards and 30 touchdowns. Dyer is now second on the all-time MSHS passing yards list in a season.
Dyer’s 30 passing touchdowns on the season put him second on the all-time MSHS records.
Dyer also holds the MSHS record for most touchdowns in a game (8), most passing yards in a game (593), most completions in a game (26), and is now third all-time for career touchdown passes (55).
Dyer’s spread his passes amongst five receivers against SHG. Ray Long ended with 80 yards on seven receptions to lead the Bulldogs. Mason Orton had 77 yards and a touchdown on three receptions. Gavin Hammerschmidt had 50 yards and touchdown on five receptions. Wade Manual had 42 yards on two receptions. Bryson Tiefenthaler had 42 yards on five receptions.
On the ground, Cade Ashby had 14 carries for 36 yards and a touchdown. Brock VanDeveer had 10 carries for 43 yards. Dyer had seven carries for 31 yards.
Defense
The Bulldog defense was up against a stout and physical offense all night. SHG offense had 365 total yards in which 319 of those yards were in the air.
The Bulldog defense had some notable stops deep in the redzone. Their effort on those drives kept the Bulldogs in the game. The Bulldog D-line and linebackers really contained the SHG ground game.
Brock VanDeveer led the team in tackles with 10 tackles.
AJ Demos, Ethan Esker, Henry Wagner, and Beau Back each had 5 tackles. Noah Frank had four tackles. Henry Wagner added two sacks and a fumble recovery. Esker and Frank each had a sack as well. Beau Back had the critical forced fumble as SHG was charging towards the endzone.
Special Teams
Jackson Davis was once again perfect on his three extra-point attempts. Davis is 55-58 on extra-point attempts this season and extended his record-breaking streak of consecutive conversions to 42. He ended the season four 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 also had a successful onside kick at a critical moment in the fourth quarter.
-Davis stands in second place in MSHS history for the most PATs in a season (55).
-Davis shattered his own school record of 17 consecutive PATs, which now stands at 42. He is currently in the top 20 in the history of IHSA. He will look to add to his streak next season.
– Davis tied a MSHS record for most PATs in one game at 9
– Davis had a successful onside kick in seven of the ten games this season.
Go Bulldogs!
This Week in Bulldog Athletics - Overtime 