Bulldogs Roll Over Roncalli 38-0 on Pink Night  – Head to Hartford Tonight

How tuff are the Bulldogs? Tuffer than Tufffy, of course. Tuff enuf to wear pink on Pink Night and tuff enuf to skunk Roncalli 38-0. The Bulldogs sported pink jerseys and gold helmets during the Aberdeen Roncalli football game on Friday, October 10. The backs of their jerseys held names of people who have fought or are fighting cancer, and some who have lost the battle. Deb Bowsher of The Millstone and Elli Grabow Fisher of Team Fisher Realty donated the pink jerseys.

The Bulldogs looked pretty in pink. They picked up the tempo and both the offense and the defense played up to snuff. It was a good thing, because Roncalli also came ready to play. The Cavaliers defense was better than expected, and they did their best to hassle the Milbank from the beginning. The Bulldogs did not bend to the pressure and dominated from start to finish.

Milbank jumped to an early lead when quarterback Braylen Bowsher punched in a four-yard touchdown run with 4:14 left in the first quarter. The Bulldogs set up the PAT for kicker Franklin Pederson, but instead the Dawgs bamboozled the Cavs by running up the middle for the two-point conversion. At the end of the first quarter, Milbank had posted an 8-0 lead.

The Bulldogs  kept the ball going in the right direction in the second quarter. Bowsher connected on a 35-yard pass  to Mason Allen who was wide open on the sideline. The duo moved Milbank into the red zone at the 14-yard line. Bowsher hit his next target, Ethan Seyer, with a 12-yard pass. Seyer took it to the house  for the TD. The extra point failed, but the Bulldogs were up 14-0. 

With 2:44 remaining in the first half, the Bulldogs made it down to the Cavs four-yard line at third and goal. Bowsher hit Bennett Hunt, and the sophomore took it over the line for a four-yard touchdown. The Dawgs went ahead 20-0. Pederson then booted in the extra point to push Milbank’s lead to 21-0.   

After a flag and a fumble by Roncalli that Milbank recovered, the clock was running out in the first half. Pederson stepped up again to unleash a 24-yard field goal that sailed between the posts. The Bulldogs headed into the locker room with a commanding 24-0 lead.

Milbank’s offense wasn’t finished yet. After the break, with 6:50 left in the third, Sam Rick caught a pass at the nine-yard line to put the Bulldogs within striking distance again.Thirty seconds later, Bowsher ran in his second touchdown of the night. Pederson’s kick made it 31-0. 

The Bulldogs via Bowsher scored their final  touchdown of the night on a one-yard run  with 3:42 left in the fourth quarter. Pederson’s kick was also good to put the icing on the cake for Milbank. The final score sat at 38-0.

The Bulldogs accumulated 318 yards. Bowsher completed 11 of 19 attempts for 189 yards passing, including one TD. He also put up 81 yards rushing. Hunt acquired 34 yards rushing. Lance Engebretson added 14 yards. Rick had six receptions for 128 yards. Allen had two catches for 39 yards; Seyer snagged one reception for 14 yards; and Hunt grabbed two for eight yards.

Hunt led the defense with six tackles and three assists. Layten Osowski made three tackles and three assists. Ethan Owen and Micah Tostenson each pulled down two tackles and added one assist. Tostenson also strong-armed Roncalli’s quarterback for two sacks.  Esteban Abrego made one tackle and added an assist. Seyer and Lawson Novy made one tackle and one assist, and slammed one sack apiece. Allen claimed a tackle and two assists. Rick and Max Scoular each made one tackle. Engebretson and Carter Gloe charted two assists apiece. Emmett Snaza and Andrew Karels each recorded one assist.

What’s next? The Bulldogs are hoping to see Ryan Keeton back in their lineup this Friday night after he missed the last two games due to an injury. The Bulldogs head south to face West Central. The teams will kick off with matching 5-2 records. West Central’s two losses came from Sioux Falls Christian and Dell Rapids. Dell Rapids edged them out with a razor-thin margin of just one point.

Milbank’s future looks rosy for clinching a spot in the playoffs, but the Bulldogs will need to stay at the top of their game against the Trojans to obtain their best possible seed.  Kick off in Hartford is at 7 p.m.