Narrow Escape, Bulldogs Hold Off Charging Colts

After the devastating loss in Seattle the Bellingham Bulldogs looked for redemption as the South King County Colts rolled into town for a Pacific Football League heavy-weight match. The Colts carry a 6-1 record, atop the PFL standings along side the Seattle Stallions. Bellingham's recent loss to the Stallions put them in a possible road-playoff situation, with a 6-2 record the Bulldogs may not get a playoff game at home.  

In addition to the standings the Bulldogs were dealing with several injuries and the loss of their starting quarterback. Bellingham would decide to put Eric Taylor in to run the offense. The Colts however have a familiar face under center, former Bulldog Cody Oakes returned for redemption of his own.

The game started off a little sluggishly. Neither offense could manage a consistent drive to move the ball and traded punts early. After a scoreless first quarter the Bulldogs made a push into scoring position and kicked a 10-yard field goal. On the following Colts drive the Bulldogs defense stripped the ball from Oakes, giving the offense a shortened field. A few plays later Bellingham's Eric Taylor found wide receiver Douglas Miller for a three-yard touchdown pass.

This proved to be the turning point in the game as both offenses began to move the ball with an increased intensity. Both Bulldogs and Colts unleashed a flurry of running and pass attacks that netted yards and points. Through the second quarter and into the third the titans of the gridiron traded blows and countered one another. Bellingham however got the best of the Colts and began to pull ahead on the scoreboard. Late in the third quarter the Bulldogs had a 37-16 lead and what seemed to be a win was within grasp.

Cody Oakes and the Colts would not secede. Clawing their way back into the game, Oakes lead his Colts to two more touchdowns and brought the game to a 37-30 score with 3 minutes left to play. The Bulldogs defense would bend but would not break. The Colts drove deep into the redzone but with one minute, thirty seconds remaining Bellingham stopped the Colts drive short. Holding onto victory and keeping their home-playoff game hopes alive. Final score: 37-30. Click here to view photos of the game.

The Streak Continues, Slam Win Tenth Game.

The International Basketball League witnessed another victory for the Bellingham Slam as they crushed the visiting East Bay Pit Bulls from Livermore, California at Whatcom Pavilion Sunday, June 9^th. From the opening tip the Slam controlled the tempo and the scoreboard. Averaging a double digit lead in all four quarters, Bellingham cruised to a tenth straight victory and sit alone atop the IBL standings. With six games remaining on the regular season the Slam look forward at the opportunity to defend the IBL Championship title. Final score: 153-100. Click here to view photos of the game.

Bulldogs Grind-out a Win Over Buzzards

The South Lane Buzzards opened the game with a heavy dose of their running game, pushing the Bulldog's defense back onto the heals with a series of sweeps, traps and dives. Attacking the defensive line head-on. The four-quarterback rotation seemed to have caught Bellingham off-guard initially. Driving down the field the Buzzard scored a field goal on their first possession of the game.

Bellingham would answer quickly with a 65 yard bomb from Leon Lilley to Toby Seim. However the offense was unable to take advantage of the field position turned the ball over on downs. With the momentum favoring South Lane, Bellingham struggled to turn the advantage around. The Buzzards defense kept up the pressure on Lilley who was unable to get clean throwing lines. Both defenses stiffened, allowing yards but blanking the opposing offenses throughout the first half.

The opening kickoff of the second half sparked new life in the Bulldog offense as Miguel Pierre took the return to just inside the red zone. The next play from scrimmage saw Brett Hall push his way into the end zone for Bellingham's first score. The scoring would quickly cool again but tempers began to rise as penalty flags began to rain down for both sides. Either team unable to get a consistent rhythm to their offense with the constant shuffle of field position dictated by the referee.

Late in the fourth quarter the scoring drought was quenched when Bulldogs' defensive back Jon (Bizzle) Bon recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown. The Buzzards' defense also saw the end zone as defensive back Jamil Wynn picked off a pass from Leon Lilley and returned it 70 yards for South Lanes only touchdown. Bellingham would get the last word with less than two-minutes remaining and the Buzzards driving the field. Bulldogs' safety Miguel Pierre intercepted a deflected pass, sealing the victory for Bellingham. Final score: 14-11. Click here to view photos of the game.