Bulldogs rally to crush Thermop, 42-14

It seemed as if the Lovell Bulldogs played three games when they hosted the Thermopolis Bobcats for homecoming Friday.

In the first quarter, the Bulldogs played solid football as they jumped out to a 13-0 lead – game one. Then Thermop started running the ball effectively in the second quarter with their power option attack and took a 14-13 lead – game two, though Lovell scored late in the second quarter to lead 20-14 at halftime.

Game three was the key, however, as Lovell dominated the visiting Bobcats on both sides of the ball in the second half en route to a final score of 42-14.

“It was just an attitude adjustment in the second half,” head coach Nicc Crosby said when asked about the turnaround. “Our defense decided to be aggressive and be physical – be the aggressor out on the field. They were able to see the potential they have as a defensive unit.”

Unofficially, Thermopolis rushed for 160 yards in the first half and just 14 yards in the second half as the Bulldogs began to stuff the option attack.

“They never really used the pitch option. What got us the most (in the first half) was the counter they ran,” Crosby said. “In the second half it was a matter of our line penetrating better and not getting blown off the line of scrimmage and our linebackers filling before the line could reach them.

“That’s an aggressive team, and they have some good athletes. We need to find a way to play with the sense of urgency we did in the second half. We played fine in the first quarter, but in the second half we played with energy and people were flying to the ball. We forced three turnovers.”

The Bulldogs moved the ball well on offense for most of the game, scoring on seven of nine drives.

“We were pretty consistent,” Crosby said. “There are definitely some things to clean up on the offensive line and a few timing and progression issues in our passing game.”

Strong start

The Bulldogs reached the end zone the first two times they had the ball. Thermop tried an onside kick to start the game, which gave Lovell favorable field position. Senior quarterback Davin Crosby hit Owen walker for 13 yards, and a facemask penalty moved the ball to the Thermop 18. Crosby kept the drive alive with a fourth-down pass to Walker for 13 and scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak three plays later. An encroachment penalty on the Bobcats led the Bulldogs to try for the two-point conversion, but they couldn’t punch it in, leaving the home team with a 6-0 lead.

Thermopolis drove to midfield before punting on their first possession, and a horse collar penalty on the Lovell return set the Bulldogs up at the 50. A holding penalty set the Bulldogs back 10 yards, but junior receiver Matthew Newman made a remarkable one-handed catch down the left sideline to the Bobcat 26. Crosby then found Newman slicing across the middle of the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown pass, and with the PAT kick, Lovell led 13-0 late in the first quarter.

The Bobcats then got their power running game going and drove 73 yards to score, the drive capped by a 34-yard burst by senior Zane Stam. Then after Lovell’s only three-and-out of the game, Thermopolis drove 71 yards to score again, with Stam, Chris Arends, Armani Dukes and quarterback Cannon Boren gashing the Lovell defense. Stam scored from three yards out, and Thermop took a 14-13 lead with 3:30 left in the first half.

Seeking to regain momentum, the Bulldogs drove 62 yards to score before halftime. Senior Braxton Felkins got the drive started with a nine-yard run as the Bulldogs played with enough urgency to score but also ate clock to not give Thermop another chance.

Junior halfback Chase Crosby and quarterback Davin Crosby gained key first downs to sustain the drive, and Davin hit Walker for 15. After spiking the ball to stop the clock, Davin Crosby hit Newman for 11, then found Walker in the end zone for a seven-yard scoring pass. Lovell led 20-14 with seven seconds left in the half and took the same score into the locker room at halftime.

Second half blowout

Coach Crosby said the late score gave the Bulldogs some much needed momentum for the second half, but coaches, notably defensive coordinator AJ Montanez, worked to fire up the defense at halftime. It worked, as the Bulldogs forced Thermopolis to go three and out on the first series of the second half, and after an interception on a ball that bounced off a Lovell receiver, the Lovell defense forced a second three and out – forcing the Bobcats to lose yardage.

That second series was a key time in the game, Crosby said.

“For our defense to stop them again after the turnover, I knew we’d be in great shape,” he said. “They went backwards. We really got after them.”

The rest of the game was all Lovell. The Bulldogs drove 79 yards to score as Felkins slashed for a 13-yard touchdown run – 27-14 Lovell – then after a Felkins interception, the Bulldogs drove 30 yards to score again on a one-yard run by Chase Crosby early in the fourth quarter, followed by a two-point conversion pass to Taggart Shumway. Lovell led 35-14.

Thermopolis drove into Lovell territory on the ensuing possession, but Walker picked off Dukes, and the Bulldogs drove 78 yards to score, with Davin Crosby hitting Newman and Walker for gains to move the chains and senior halfback Parker Steenbakkers carrying the ball on six consecutive plays, the final carry a three-yard touchdown. Lovell led 42-14 with 1:28 left, sealing the win.

Felkins’ second interception of the game thwarted the final Thermopolis drive.

Davin Crosby completed 18 of 34 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns, 10 completions to Newman for 137 yards, five to Walker for 60 yards and two to Owen Edwards for 19 yards. The Bulldogs rushed for 121 yards as Chase Crosby had 10 carries for 34 yards, Felkins four carries for 33 yards, Davin Crosby nine for 28 and Steenbakkers six for 26.

Thermopolis rushed for 174 yards and passed for 72 yards.

Key road game

The Bulldogs will hit the road Friday for a critical conference game at Worland. The Warriors dropped from 3A to 2A this year and are 3-1 so far this season, 3-0 in the 2A West. The Warriors fell to Powell 17-0 in week one but then beat Thermopolis 21-6, Pinedale 52-0 and Lyman 27-0.

Crosby said the Warriors employ a traditional formation on offense with one or two tight ends and a fullback, also running some spread formations. They typically run a five-man front on defense.

“Worland is big, and they’ve got a bunch of seniors,” he said. “They’re a really physical football team, and their defense has been really solid all year. They’ve got an athletic quarterback (number 7, Colt Weber), who can extend plays with his feet. They’ve got some good weapons at receiver and tight end.”

Kickoff in Worland Friday is scheduled for 7 p.m.