Bulldogs Hound Highlanders, 38-21

Despite a decent offensive showing by the Highlanders led by their senior running back Joseph Beiro, the Bulldogs were simply too much, and left McLean with a 38-21 win.

Uncharacteristically, the Bulldogs won the toss and elected to receive the ball to start the game, despite the normal tradition of deferring a coin toss to the other squad. After the Highlanders squib-kicked the ball, the Bulldogs started on their own 42-yard line.

The offense quickly went to work, and four plays later, three of them runs by running back Marcus Harris, the Bulldogs were on the Highlanders' 13-yard line. Two plays later on rd down and five from the 8-yard line, quarterback Kyle Gouveia scampered into the end zone for the touchdown. Kicker Abdul Shaban nailed the extra point to put the Bulldogs up 7-0 with just over eight minutes to play in the first quarter.

The Highlanders fired right back on the ensuing possession. After a touchback, they took over on their own 20-yard line. After two runs by Beiro that gave the Highlanders a first down, quarterback William Hecht unleashed a 37-yard pass to tight end Jonathan Fremerman that put them on the Bulldogs' 29-yard line. On the very next play, Beiro went 29 yards to the house, capping off a six play, 80-yard drive that only took 1:09 off the clock. Kicker Andrew Hunt made the extra point to tie the game at 7-7.

On the next drive, the Bulldogs again went to work on offense. After advancing 46 yards to the Highlanders' 20-yard line, Beiro forced Harris to fumble, and the Highlanders jumped onto the loose ball.

But the recovered fumble was quickly nullified, as two plays into their second drive of the game, Beiro - who forced the fumble on defense - lost control of the ball, and the Bulldogs recovered on the Highlanders' 27-yard line.

Two runs by Harris that added up to 11 yards started off the drive for the Bulldogs. It also ended the first quarter. On the first play after the two teams switched sides, Beiro again made another costly mistake, this time in the form of defensive pass interference that gave the Bulldogs the ball on the 8-yard line. After Spenser Rositano got the ball to the 1-yard line on first down and goal, Harris punched the ball in for the score, giving his team a 14-7 advantage with 11:25 to play in the first half.

Again, the Highlanders quickly responded to the Bulldogs' score. After gaining two yards on their first two plays from scrimmage, Hecht once again found Fremerman deep, who then ran the ball all the way down the sideline to the end zone to cap off the 67-yard play. So with 10:41 remaining in the first half, the score was again knotted up at 14-14.

The Bulldogs went right back to work on the next possession. After a shaky return, they started the drive from their own 17-yard line. The offensive then led the way for Harris, and soon enough, the Bulldogs were inside the Highlanders' 30-yard line. A 20-yard run by Rositano then put them on the 6-yard line. On first down and goal, the Bulldogs capped off the massive drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Gouveia to Taylor Lambke. Shaban hit the extra point to put the Bulldogs up 21-14 with 5:56 to play before halftime.

However, the Highlanders continued to threaten the Bulldogs' defense. After a 24-yard completion by Hecht and a big run by Beiro, the Highlanders found themselves on the Bulldogs' 34-yard line. The drive stalled there though, and on fourth down, Hecht was sacked by Rob Burns, giving the ball back to the Bulldogs.

The teams then traded off turnovers, both interceptions. Bulldogs' quarterback Brian Rody was picked off on a pass that was bobbled by Lambke. Then Hecht overthrew a pass by about 10 yards, and senior defensive back Michael Girdy hauled in the easy interception with 1:14 to play in the half.

On the first play following Girdy's interception, Gouveia unleashed a 47-yard pass to Rositano who then found the end zone. The Bulldogs went for the two-point conversion, but a run attempt by Gouveia was unsuccessful, leaving the Bulldogs up 27-14. The Bulldogs carried that score into the locker room for halftime.

The Highlanders started with the ball to start the second half. The drive was quickly stalled, and a failed fake punt attempt gave the Bulldogs the ball on their own 48-yard line.

On the flip side, the Bulldogs were able to get the offense clicking again, advancing the ball the Highlanders' 29-yard line. However, a holding penalty pushed them back to the 39-yard line. Then on the next play, Gouveia threw a screen pass that was intercepted by Robert Ludwick of the Highlanders, who was then brought down by the facemask by Gouveia. The 15-yard penalty gave the Highlanders the ball at the Bulldogs' 26-yard line.

Beiro then led the way for the Highlanders, taking them all the way to end zone on a drive that had a third down as well as a fourth down conversion and was capped off by a 2-yard run. The successful extra point by Hunt brought the score to 27-21, with the Bulldogs still holding the lead.

With the Highlanders hot on their heels, the Bulldogs quickly responded. On the first play of the ensuing possession, Harris broke off a 56-yard touchdown run, thanks largely in part to an impressive block downfield by Rositano that allowed Harris enough space to find the end zone. The Bulldogs again went for the two-point conversion, but this time, Gouveia was successful on his run, giving them a 35-21 advantage.

After the Highlanders next possession went three downs and out, The Bulldogs took over on the Highlanders 40-yard line. After two runs by Harris, a nice run by Rositano to the 17-yard line ended the third quarter.

The Bulldogs continued to slowly inch towards another touchdown. A nice set of runs by Harris got the Bulldogs to the 5-yard line to set up first down and goal. After a 1-yard run by Rositano, Harris fumbled the snap on second down and goal, causing them to move back to the 6-yard line. On third down and goal, Harris only picked up two yards, forcing Shaban to attempt a 21-yard field goal. His kick split the uprights, giving his team a 38-21 lead with 10:33 left to play.

Both teams then traded off punts before the Highlanders took over on the Bulldogs' 41-yard line with 5:43 to play. Despite the good field position, the Highlanders failed to get more than a yard, and turned the ball over to the Bulldogs on downs.

The Bulldogs were then able to milk the final four minutes of the clock to seal the 38-21 victory over the Highlanders.

Harris ended the game with 33 carries for 200 yards and two touchdowns. He also broke the single season school record for carries in a season during the game, a record previously held by Grant Harris.

"[Harris] has certainly been our most effective offensive weapon this year," said Bulldogs' head coach Mickey Thompson.

With the win, the Bulldogs advance to 8-1 on the season, 5-1 in Liberty District play, with just one game left. That game will be against the South Lakes Seahawks next Friday in Ashburn. With the Seahawks loss to the Langley Saxons tonight, Stone Bridge now has sole possession of first place in the District, pending the outcome of next week's game vs. South Lakes.

"We have to come together offensively and defensively to be truly successful," Thompson said.

With the loss, the Highlanders fall to 5-4 overall and 3-3 in Liberty District play. They will face the Saxons next week in a game that will almost certainly be a must-win for the Highlanders to have a shot at the postseason.