It was a confrontation between two teams that had not won a match during the young season. The Munday Moguls and Miles Bulldogs came in at 0-3 with hopes of securing that first victory.

Let’s start with the Moguls, who lost 58-0 to Peaster. This loss was followed by an 80-18 loss to the Irish Shamrock. Then the Moguls lost 27-16 to Crosbyton. It looked like the Moguls were heading in the right direction against Crosbyton.

Miles, likewise, showed a recovery. The Bulldogs lost 24-0 to the Coleman Bluecats. This was followed by a 54-0 beating by Coahoma. Giving up 8 touchdowns, 3 fumbles, 2 interceptions and giving up 2 sacks leaves some areas of the Bulldogs’ game where they can improve.

But, Miles was done messing around when the Roscoe Plowboys arrived in town. The Bulldogs lost that game 43-24, but they scored 4 touchdowns, a huge improvement over their previous losses. The game was an ancestor of what awaited the Munday Moguls.

With the Bulldogs on the rise and the Moguls looking to improve, the showdown at Gary Krejci Memorial Stadium in Miles was of great significance to both teams.

Miles is under 2nd year AD and head football coach Jayson Wilhelm. This year the Bulldogs have completely changed their offense over the past few years. They put 4 wide receivers on almost all games. For all intents and purposes, they’re running an old-fashioned running and shooting game. It helped them against Roscoe, even though they gave up that game. Even with Roscoe being a bigger, stronger team with a more comprehensive roster, the Bulldogs scored those 3 touchdowns.

The game against Munday seemed balanced, with Munday holding a slight edge over the Bulldogs. This advantage was the only advantage Munday had when the ball was kicked.

This is the part where we throw clichés like “The Bulldogs maimed the Moguls” or “The Bulldogs followed the ball and found the end zone”, “The Bulldogs shook the milk money out of the pockets of the Mogul.” Yes, there are a lot of clichés, and you can use them without the slightest feeling of embarrassment. If you were a Bulldog fan, especially on this Homecoming night, you were living big and smiling from ear to ear, cheering on a team that was more dominant than you expected.

Now let’s move on to this game.

There are a lot of players who stepped up and made fantastic games. Quarterback Hayven Book # 1, seemed to find his rhythm from the first play. Until this Roscoe match, Book must have felt like he was on the ropes. But, he was improving, and that’s the most you could ask for from any player, at any level. Individual players improve and coaches improve if the team wants to improve. This improvement was evident on the grill on Friday night.

The Bulldogs won the draw but were postponed which would prove to be a great move. The Moguls were held to a minimal gain before kicking. Miles proved one thing tonight; The 2nd and 3rd were their money drops. Almost every touchdown Miles made happened on the 2nd try, with a couple on the 3rd try.

The Bulldogs’ first practice was capped with a 49-yard pass from Hayven Book to Carson Ellison, who reserved in the end zone for the game’s opening points. Book doesn’t have the strongest arm in 2A football, but he’s precise and he’s smart with his passing. He rarely throws the ball out of desperation or into a crowd. The Bulldogs were running this offense with 4 wide receivers and one back in the backfield. Ellison had 5 passes for 136 yards, averaging 27.2 yards per catch while adding 2 trips to the end zone. Ellison is an excellent receiver, whose ability to throw after catch and second efforts make his game exciting.

Book had all the options on the board when the ball was broken. The Moguls couldn’t keep up with the receivers, especially Ellison, who is maybe only 5’8 “and 150 pounds with change in his pockets, but he plays like he’s 6 ‘and 200 pounds. . You’re not going to arm yourself attack him, and you’re not going to catch him if he passes you. If it wasn’t the receivers, it was Booker or Tanner Wood who were throwing the ball. of passing, which opened the running game, which left the Moguls in confusion as they tried to figure out who to cover.

Wood would eventually set up video game numbers, completing 21 of 25 passes for 406 yards and 6 touchdowns. He mean 19.3 yards per attempted pass. He also didn’t throw a single interception.

When the Bulldogs were offensive, they were going to put the ball in the end zone one way or another. Hayden Johnson was a solid runner and a reliable receiver. Devin Medina could also make slow defenders pay the price for lax cover. In the end, Media found the end zone twice with 1 reception and 1 rushed TD. Book had a lot of time in his pocket because his linemen were at work.

In defense, the Bulldogs dominated every aspect of the game. They crushed the Moguls line, time and time again, were rewarded with multiple tackles for loss. Quarterback Munday would step back and have less than 2 seconds to make a decision on the pass or run. That was about all that was needed for the Bulldogs’ feast. They either received a sack, stopped a run or knocked down a pass. They intercepted a pass as the Moguls threatened to score more points on the board. In the end, Munday finished the game with 7 completed passes on 22 attempts for 120 yards, 0 touchdowns and 1 interception.

The Bulldogs quickly made their way onto the field and added another touchdown as the game spiraled out of control for Munday.

It was Homecoming, so at halftime the King and Queen were crowned. Christian Gutierrez # 66 was crowned Reunion King while Reagan Smithwick was crowned Reunion Queen. Both compete in track and field, but they also compete in areas like 4-H, National Honor Society, etc.

The kick-off after half-time was Munday’s attempt to be sneaky. As the Bulldogs prepared to receive the kick, the Moguls staged a special teams-style “sugar huddle”. They were loosely clustered about 3 meters behind the ball and suddenly ran and kicked it in a back kick. It did not work. The ball did not travel 10 yards and ended up out of bounds. Miles took the ball in midfield. Then they scored on a 50-yard pass to Ellison.

Gutierrez, along with Holton Wilson and Joel Garcia, dominated all aspects of the game offensively and defensively. When the 3 were on the offensive, they roughed up the Moguls in almost every game.

This extended attack caused the Moguls to see stars as they tried to figure out how to guard against passing and running at the same time. The line regularly gave Book time to find receivers in the field. This was evidenced by Book’s long TD completions: 49 yards at Ellison; 36 yards to McAda; 45 meters to Medina; 50 yards at Ellison; 33 yards to Johnson; 20 yards at Kaden Crocker. For the remainder of the score, Medina made a nice 42-yard jaunt to the end zone, while Dylan Garza added his own 9-yard scoreline.

Delayed draws would have the effect of the 4 wide receivers being 20 yards down the field, drawing in defenders so the running game could take yards. Make no mistake, Book can throw the ball onto the field, or he can shoot it down and knock out 7 or 8 yards before falling.

Ellison, the journeyman wide receiver, running back, fielder and jack of all trades made his presence felt with at least 2 touchdowns on reception, each going 50 yards. Its RAC (run after catch) ability is extraordinary. He caught a 16-yard pass and ran it into the end zone after picking up 30 extra yards.

On defense, Ellison was the monster you had to look for over your shoulder if you were a Mogul. He forced a fumble, reversed a pass and made a few solo tackles across the open field.

In defense, Tanner Wood and Manuel Torres each had 6 tackles. Gutierrez made 4 tackles, including 1 for a total loss. Holten Wilson was everywhere, a staple in almost any tackle within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. He was credited with 3 tackles, 2 for losses, but his presence was everywhere. Its ability to move sideways with quick feet makes it detrimental to any opponent’s running game.

Then the Bulldogs will move to take on the 3-1 Cross Plains Buffaloes. The Buffaloes are a solid team, with a lot of size and speed. Last year, Cross Plains entered Miles and came away with a 41-12 win. If Miles can keep his momentum going, there is a good chance that he will take the victory of a good football team.