Bulldogs Survive Saxon Conquest, Win 17-14

 The Saxons gave the Bulldogs all they could handle, but the Bulldogs were able to hold off for a 17-14 win, thanks largely in part to a blocked field goal with just five seconds remaining in the game.

The Saxons started with the ball on their own 20-yard line after a great kickoff by Spenser Rositano, who filled in for starting kicker Abdul Shaban, who did not make the trip with the team. After getting one first down, Saxons' quarterback Braden Anderson was sacked by Rob Burns of the Bulldogs, to force a punt.

However, the Saxons got the ball right back, as quarterback Kyle Gouveia fumbled on the first play of the drive, with the Saxons diving on the loose ball and taking over on the Bulldogs' 44-yard line. After advancing the ball 10 yards down the field, Anderson fired a 34-yard bomb to Joey Kiffe for the touchdown. Farhan Khan nailed the extra point to put the Saxons up 7-0 with 7:38 left in the first quarter.

But the Bulldogs did not hang their heads, as the offense recovered from the turnover committed the previous drive. Running back Marcus Harris led the way for the Bulldogs on the drive, as they were able to drive to the Saxons' six-yard line to set up a first down and goal. However, the Saxons were able to stop them the next three plays, forcing Rositano on the field to attempt a field goal. He nailed the 22-yard attempt, capping off a 12-play, 75-yard drive that brought the Bulldogs to within four points.

The Saxons stalled on the ensuing drive, and went three downs and out before punting the ball back to the Bulldogs. Starting on their own 34-yard line, the Bulldogs marched down the field hoping to add more points to the board. However, penalties began to plague the Bulldogs on the drive, and they eventually were forced to punt.

The Saxons took over on their own 20-yard line again, but were moved back a yard before facing a third down and 11. On the play, Anderson fired a pass that was picked off by Bulldogs' cornerback Dexter Rodgers, who then took it 25 yards to the house to put the Bulldogs up 10-7, with 5:50 remaining in the second quarter.

Both teams traded punts before the Bulldogs again threatened the Saxons on offense. As they advanced to the Saxons' 30-yard line, it appeared that they would go into halftime with a potential two-score lead. However, penalties again hindered the Bulldogs, and eventually forced a turnover on downs by the Bulldogs.

With only 25 seconds left in the half, the Saxons took over on their own 26-yard line with all three timeouts remaining. On the first play, Anderson unleashed a 44-yard pass to Kiffe that gave the Saxons the ball on the Bulldogs' 30-yard line. Anderson found Kiffe again on the next play, this time for an 11-yard pickup to the Bulldogs' 19-yard line. After calling their second timeout of the drive with just 11 seconds left, the Saxons attempted to run the ball to get a better field goal attempt. However, the Bulldogs stuffed the attempt by Abe Yi with six seconds left to force Khan to attempt a 37-yard field goal. His kick was wide left, and that sent the game into halftime with the Bulldogs leading 10-7.

The Bulldogs started with the ball to start the second half, and once again began to drive into the Saxons' territory. After getting inside the 40 thanks largely in part to some nice running by Harris, Rositano fumbled a handoff, which the Saxons recovered on their own 40 yard line.

After being stuffed on the first two plays, Anderson found Yi for a 20-yard completion. On the ensuing play, Yi broke off a 40-yard dash to the end zone, putting the crowd into a frenzy, as well as giving his team a 14-10 advantage.

However, the Bulldogs quickly bounced back on the following drive. On the first play, Gouveia threw a pass to Rositano, who went up and made a sensational 30-yard reception. Harris and the Bulldogs' offensive line simply took over from there. The Bulldogs slowly made their way down the field, converting on two 3rd downs as well a fourth down before a big run by Harris set up a 1st down and goal from the 4-yard line. After Harris was stopped for a one-yard gain on 1st and goal, he punched the ball in on second-and-goal for the touchdown. Rositano nailed the extra point to put the Bulldogs up 17-14.

The teams traded possessions twice, with the first possession by the Bulldogs sending the game into the fourth quarter. After two punts by both teams, the Saxons took over from their own nine-yard line with 4:29 remaining. After staying nearly penalty free during the second half, a defensive pass interference and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty by the Bulldogs allowed the Saxons offense, which was also having success through the air, advance to the Bulldogs' 24-yard line.

The Bulldogs' defense was able to make a final stand on the drive though, as Connor Calderwood sacked Anderson on third down to force the Saxons out of field goal range. The Saxons elected to go for it on fourth down, but Andersons' pass fell incomplete, thus giving the ball back to the Bulldogs with just under two minutes to play.

The Bulldogs started on their own 31-yard line, and the Saxons had two timeouts to burn. Two consecutive runs by the Bulldogs forced the Saxons to exhaust the remainder of their timeouts. A failed third down and seven attempt forced the Bulldogs to punt the ball back to the Saxons with 48 seconds left in the game, giving the Saxons one last shot to tie or win the game.

Anderson again began to lead the offense, with passes to Yi and Kiffe. With 25 seconds left, they had the ball at the Bulldogs' 32 yard line. After gaining nine yards, the rain began to come down, and the Saxons' receivers dropped two consecutive passes to force Khan to attempt a game-tying 41-yard attempt with nine seconds to play.

As the ball was snapped, Rositano, who blocked the field goal against Westfield to preserve a 22-19 win, broke through the line and blocked Khan's attempt, allowing the Bulldogs to kneel out the clock and escape with a 17-14 win.

The key to the Bulldogs victory was certainly the play of Marcus Harris, who had 43 carries for 202 yards and a touchdown. The key to his success was the play of the offensive line, who as a unit dominated the Saxons' defensive line all night long.

"We knew it was going to be a battle from the start," said offensive lineman Mitchell Freitas. "We knew we had to get up, so we rose to the occasion."

With the win, the Bulldogs advance to 7-1 on the season. They will visit the McLean Highlanders next weekend in a game that carries many implications on who will win the Liberty District.

As for the Saxons, they fall to 3-5 on the year. They will travel to South Lakes next week in another huge Liberty District match-up.