The Corrigan-Camden Bulldogs earned a 21-8 victory at home over the Elkhart Elks on Friday.
The Bulldog defense was the driving force and stepped up in key moments during the non-district grudge match from last season’s loss at Elkhart.
“We took control and made plays when it mattered,” said Bulldog head coach Brett Ratliff. “Defense sets our tone and makes our offense play tougher. We showed that tonight.”
Much of the heavy load on the ground was handled by Bulldog sophomore running back Derrick Reagie. Corrigan’s hard run game wore down the Elk defense and opened up plays for the rest of the offense.
“Reagie is a special back and has a great future ahead. He has started to figure it out after having just a couple of carries last year,” Ratliff said. “We also had great pieces of the puzzle with him tonight. Being able to mix things up like that helps us out. Finding that balance will be the key for us.”
Corrigan’s offense started with decent field position and moved the sticks into Elkhart territory, but would fall short on a fourth-down run to turn the ball over near the red zone.
The Bulldog defense started strong, forcing a quick three-and-out by Elkhart. This helped set up another short field for Corrigan going into the second quarter.
This first Bulldog scoring drive included big gains from Reagie and a crucial first-down pass reception by junior Mason Murphy.
The drive was capped off by Bulldog junior quarterback William Ratliff on a 29-yard rushing touchdown to put the Bulldogs up by seven.
Elk sophomore running back Dalton Walker would try to get things going for Elkhart with a huge run into Bulldog territory. However, the Elk offense dropped a pass, missing a touchdown opportunity.
Corrigan gave up good field position late in the half on a turnover near midfield, then a Walker run got them near the red zone.
Ratliff would later make a clutch interception on third-and-goal to prevent the potential score from Elkhart before halftime.
The Elk offense started strong in the third quarter, moving the sticks on the ground to drive past midfield. However, a defensive stop by Murphy in the backfield helped force another Elkhart punt.
Murphy caught a first-down pass, then got his facemask pulled to put the Bulldogs further into Elk territory on the following drive.
Bulldog senior quarterback Michael Sullivan followed that up with a 64-yard bomb to junior receiver Paden Walker to the end zone for another touchdown, extending Corrigan’s lead.
Elkhart immediately responded with a long pass from senior quarterback Trystyn Tidrow to Walker that quickly set the Elks up inside the red zone.
Elk senior receiver Cody Thomas would run hard up the middle to get Elkhart to the two-yard line, then punched it in for the short touchdown. This made it 14-8 with the successful two-point conversion.
A pass interference call set up the Bulldog offense in a strong position on the next possession. Reagie then exploded up the middle for a 35-yard touchdown run to make it a two-score lead again for Corrigan late in the fourth.
Elkhart got deep into Bulldog territory with the help of a pass interference call, but was forced to pass on a fourth-and-long, turning the ball over in the final moments.
Corrigan would work to eat up the clock on the ground and the closing moments to secure the victory.
Ratliff noted the team’s improved ball security this week, but still hopes to capitalize more inside and near the red zone. The offense will need to be at full strength with just three weeks until the district schedule.
“I think we definitely limited our offensive mistakes with no fumbles. We still have those other things to fix, especially inside the scoring zone,” said Ratliff. “We are going to keep working on cleaning up the rest to get ready for district.”
The Bulldogs will travel for their last non-district game this Friday versus the Joaquin Rams. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Ram Stadium (Joaquin High School).
