Bulldogs Fall Short Against Fusion, 44-26
The Bainville Bulldogs provided their homecoming crowd with a good show before coming up short against Richey/Lambert, 44-26, in six-man football action on Saturday, Oct. 1.
The Bulldogs got off to a great start when, on the opening kickoff, the ball was knocked out of the Fusion’s returner’s hands. Bainville’s Adrian Anderson grabbed the ball and raced 33 yards for a touchdown.
Richey/Lambert responded by driving deep into Bainville territory, but a fumble out of the end zone resulted in a touchback.
Later in the quarter, the Bulldogs accounted for a 42yard scoring drive that was highlighted with passes from Cayden Boyd to Samuel Butikofer and Anderson. With second down at the eight, the Bulldogs reached the end zone on a pass from Boyd to S. Butikofer. Alex Strickland kicked the conversion for a 14-0 lead with 4:31 left in the opening quarter.
Bainville’s defense kept the Fusion scoreless until Richey/Lambert hit paydirt on a 40-yard pass from Sage Spinner to Tiegen Cundiff with 23 seconds remaining in the quarter for a 14-6 game.
The Fusion struck again when Spinner broke loose for a 72-yard touchdown run with 8:47 remaining in the half.
Richey/Lambert moved ahead on a 49-yard toss from Spinner to Cundiff for an 1814 margin with 6:51 remaining in the half.
Bainville’s defense stepped up in a big way to turn the game’s momentum around. After a bad snap by the Fusion, S. Butikofer recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown to put the Bulldogs up 20-18 with 2:12 left in the half.
The Bulldogs appeared ready to increase their advantage when they opened the second half with a drive deep into Fusion territory. The running of S. Butikofer along with a pass from Boyd to Charles Butikofer highlighted the possession. The tide, however, turned when Richey/Lambert’s Nick Engesser intercepted a pass and returned the ball to the Bainville 14. On first down, Spinner scored with 6:33 left in the third quarter. Spinner ran in the conversion for a 25-20 margin.
Bainville came right back with a scoring drive as passes to C. Butikofer and a run by S. Butikofer produced a first down at the Fusion 21. Boyd then hit C. Butikofer with a short pass at the 17, and the junior raced down the sideline for a go-ahead touchdown.
The Fusion ended the scoring for the third quarter with a six-yard touchdown pass from Engesser to Austen Lien for a 31-26 lead with 1:13 remaining in the period.
Richey/Lambert increased the margin to 37-26 on a three-yard pass from Spinner to Lien with 6:27 remaining. After an interception by Cundiff, the Fusion were again knocking on the door, but outstanding defensive plays by Bainville’s Reed Winn and C. Butikofer ended the threat.
The Fusion were able to add to their lead on an 11yard interception return by Cundiff with 4:03 remaining. Cundiff ran in the conversion for a 44-26 margin.
The Bulldogs will play in Savage on Saturday, Oct. 8.
