Bulldogs Strike Down Thunder

The Turlock High School Bulldogs (5-4, 1-3 CCC) didn’t look like a football team that was winless in the Central California Conference last night, as they defeated the Buhach Colony Thunder (4-5, 2-2 CCC) by a convincing score of 49 to 31 in a road victory.

The Bulldogs hit their stride on their first offensive play from scrimmage, when senior running back Jevan Hogan exploded up the middle of the field for a 71-yard rushing TD.

But that impressive run wouldn’t be the only long scoring play of the game for the Bulldogs. Senior quarterback Sean Downs exploited a weak Thunder defensive line with relentless rushes up the middle. Downs dominated the game with two rushing touchdowns of 50 yards each en route to 209 total rushing yards on only 10 carries. He also threw for 187 yards with 4 TDs on just nine passing attempts.

One of those touchdowns passes came with about 5 minutes left in the third quarter when he connected with Hogan on a simple screen pass. The Thunder attempted to stack the middle of the field and blitzed three linebackers – a mistake that would cost Buhach Colony momentum and arguably the game. The pass was for less than 10 yards, but Hogan carried it for another 70 to the end zone with his blazing speed to give the Bulldogs a 30-15 lead.

The Bulldogs had the cushion they needed but they never let up, scoring 19 points in the final 14 minutes of the game.

“It feels great to get a win like this,” Downs said. “It shows what we can do. We were focused and our coaches put us in a position to win. Our defense and O-line played great,” he said.

Bulldogs head coach James Peterson called the game a “team win.” He even credited injured players on the sidelines who held up play cards to Bulldogs on the field.

“This is everything we’ve worked for summed up in a single game. It was a team victory from the water boy to the coaches and staff. We never stopped believing in what we can do,” he said.

Both Downs and Peterson say that the game was a huge motivator going into Friday night’s Harvest Bowl against cross-town rival, the Pitman Pride (6-3, 2,2 CCC). The Bulldogs are listed as the home team in the Harvest Bowl this year at Joe Debely Stadium.