’Dogs zap ’Noles, 19-0

BEACON PHOTO/ROGER GILMORE
Victory talk — DeLand High School Bulldog Head Football Coach Kevin Pettis, back to the camera, gives his players, coaches, parents and fans a victory talk Friday night in Sanford, following a 19-0 victory over Seminole. The team stands 5-0 on the year.

By Roger Gilmore
BEACON SPORTS EDITOR

posted Oct 8, 2009 - 12:27:18pm

The stage is set for a banner 2009 Homecoming this weekend for the DeLand High School Bulldogs, as their gridders are undefeated with a sparkling, 5-0, record that was capped Friday night with a 19-0 whipping of the defending state champion Class 6A Seminole High School footballers of Sanford.

The Homecoming foe for the ’Dogs at 7 p.m. on the Spec Martin Memorial Stadium gridiron will be the winless Pine Ridge Panthers, who have gone through some recent coaching changes.

The victory at Sanford Friday night was a real biggie, as Seminole posted a pair of victories over DeLand last season en route to their state championship. Posting the shutout was another feather in the caps of the ’Dogs, as it marked the first time the ’Noles had been whitewashed since 2007.

Ball control

The ’Dogs displayed some near-perfect ball control throughout the game, as they used three 80-yard drives to account for their three touchdowns. Also noted was the outstanding play of both the offensive line (opening holes for the backs) and the defensive line (for shutting down the Seminole attack).

With the opening kickoff sailing into the end zone, the ’Dogs took over at their 20. Some 17 straight plays later, with 2:12 remaining in the first period, Pop Saunders hit Donte Gutierrez with a 4-yard pass.

After an exchange of the ball, the ’Dogs got the ball back in the second at their 20, when the ’Noles failed with a field-goal attempt. This time, it took 12 plays to cover the 80 yards, with Shontrelle Johnson capping the march with a 14-yard run, after he had one called back a couple of plays earlier by a penalty. With 15.6 second left in the half, it was 12-0.

Second half

The ’Noles were pretty well bottled up in the first half; however, on their first play of the second half, Toby Durham exploded for 66 yards to the DeLand 15. On the next play, the hosts drove the ball to the 1, but a fumble into the end zone on the ensuing play was recovered by the ’Dogs for a safety.

That set the stage for the third 80-yard march by the ’Dogs. This time, it took 18 plays with Pop Saunders scoring from the 2 with 17.7 seconds left in the period, as Hunter Haire added the point after.

Although a 24-yard TD run by Saunders was erased by a penalty, there was another ball-control effort by the ’Dogs in the fourth period, with 16 plays that ended with an incomplete pass.

DeLand used a three-pronged attack in this one, as junior Achim Johnson, 5-10 and 225, came into his own with 18 carries for 92 yards. However, S. Johnson was the big ground-gainer with 22 carries for 149 yards, while Saunders contributed 88 yards with 20 attempts.

The Bulldog defenders did a great job in blanking the ’Noles; however, Sanford had the ball such a short time, the stats didn’t really pile up. But there were some outstanding hits that drew cheers from the impressive DHS crowd that was on hand for the action.

The penalty count was way down for the ’Dogs, as they were called four times for 30 yards, while the hosts were whistled four times for 40 yards. DHS reeled off 22 first downs to just six for the ’Noles.

A reminder, the next two games will be at home for the ’Dogs. The New Smyrna Beach Barracudas will be here Oct. 16 for Community Night, to be followed Oct. 23 by the Deltona Wolves for the “Battle of the Bone.”

— info@beacononlinenews.com

Comment on this article

Commenting is closed for this article.

If you would like to contribute a letter to the editor, please click here.

Did you find this story interesting or informative? Subscribe to The DeLand-Deltona Beacon to read more stories by Roger Gilmore, along with others from our award-winning writers. Subscribe now!