Bulldogs entering playoffs on winning streak
The Bulldogs put up 424 rushing yards in a win over Central Springs. Fifty-four of those came from senior Brock Hackett, shown here diving for additional inches. (Photos by Audrey Posten)
Parker Kuehl netted 59 rushing yards and a TD and also had a pair of receptions in the Bulldog victory.
Austin Schaller and Will Howes team up to tackle a Central Springs runner.
Keith Anderson takes down a Panther player. He led the team with nine total tackles.
By Audrey Posten | Times-Register
MFL MarMac capped off the football regular season with a 35-0 win over Central Springs on Oct. 18.
The Bulldogs came out on top despite turning the ball over four times—including three fumbles and one interception in the second half. Multiple snaps were also fumbled, but recovered.
“We got a 35-0 win, but I can guarantee our guys are not smiling too much. It was not our best game,” said head coach Dan Anderson. “That’s sloppy football and that’s not going to get you very far.”
Kashton Decker scored the first points of the game, reaching the end zone on a 60-yard run near the end of the first quarter. A Ben Krambeer point after put MFL MarMac up 7-0.
The Bulldogs had a 14-0 lead a few minutes later, after a quarterback sneak by Carter Stoddard, then built the advantage to 28-0 by halftime on a pair of touchdowns from Quinn McGeough. One was from 14 yards out and the other 57.
The offense operated well despite being without rushing threat Eli Hanson and tight end Hunter Christofferson. In addition to Decker and McGeough, Brock Hackett got multiple touches. Ty Echard saw his first snaps at tight end, and caught an 18-yard pass over the middle during the first quarter.
“We felt pretty confident we were going to win this game, even with those guys out. So we tried to establish some other guys in the first quarter,” Anderson said. “It was probably almost the end of the first quarter and Quinn had one carry. That was the game plan. We knew we’d get Quinn going eventually, but we wanted to establish some other stuff on film and let some other teams see some stuff before feeding the ball to Quinn.”
After halftime, MFL MarMac scored just once—late in the fourth quarter on a Parker Kuehl 11-yard run—to make it 35-0. Turnovers disrupted other drives.
“We were moving the ball down the field, then there’s a sputter,” Anderson said.
Outside that, “I thought our linemen played really well, and our defense played really well,” he added.
Although it had been less potent during district play, the Central Springs offense was putting up 35 points per game to start the season. The Panthers earned 104 rushing yards and 127 through the air Friday night, but the Bulldogs kept them off the board.
Keith Anderson’s 9 tackles led the effort. McGeough followed with 7 and Austin Schaller earned 6.5. Stoddard finished the game with 5 total tackles and Kuehl and Aiden Schoulte each had 4.
Offensively, coach Anderson credited the line for allowing MFL MarMac to rush for a whopping 424 yards. McGeough eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark with 178 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Decker picked up 83 yards and a touchdown on five attempts, and Kuehl netted 59 yards and a TD on six touches.
Stoddard ran the ball seven times for 34 yards, including a touchdown, and was also 4-6 passing for 50 yards. Kuehl had a pair of receptions for 32 yards.
The victory improved the Bulldogs to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in district play, where they finished second behind Dike-New Hartford. It’s the sixth year in a row MFL MarMac has been district champion or runner-up
“I’m super proud. We’re still giving the community good football,” said Anderson.
He sees a lot of potential for the team—if they can play clean games.
In addition to the normal strip drills, where players run through traffic and have to cover up the ball, Anderson anticipates practice this week will focus on limiting fumbles.
“Maybe monkey rolls, where they’re holding the ball and have to hit the ground,” he said. “Too many guys, if they’re fighting for extra ground and getting hit, they’re trying to reach out or swinging the ball. We can’t do that. You have to keep the ball tight to your ribs.”
“We can’t have that stuff happen—the sputtering—in the playoffs, or it will be an early exit. Our guys know that,” Anderson stressed.
The Bulldogs will begin postseason play Friday, Oct. 25, hosting Alburnett. The Pirates come into the game 5-3, after winning their Class 1A - District 4 finale against East Marshall. Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. in Monona.
