The Bellingham Bulldogs were host to a
familiar opponent Saturday, May 31 at Civic Field. The Yakima
Mavericks made the long journey from the middle of Washington to
continue their long-standing rivalry. With Toby Seim still out with
an injured knee, the Bulldogs offense needed to step up quickly to
establish a lead over the cunning Mavericks. Quarterback Eric Taylor
was back under center, although Yakima's secondary did show their
ability to take away passing lanes, it did not take long for Taylor
to find his wide receivers. The Bulldogs jumped ahead with a
touchdown pass from Taylor to Jacob Bartel early in the second
quarter.
Bellingham's defense stood firm as a
determined Yakima offense attempted to establish their running
attack. The ball changed possession often. The Mavericks took
advantage of a interception deep in their territory and scored a
touchdown to tie the score late in the second. But the Bulldogs
struck back quickly with a 41-yard touchdown run after the catch from
Taylor to Cody Oakes, giving Bellingham a 14-7 halftime lead.
Yakima began moving the ball down field
in the second half but the Bulldogs defense would prove to be too
much for the Maverick to break through. Bellingham stopped several
drives short of the goal line as the Bulldogs offensive line kept up
their dominance allowing Taylor to scramble and throw at will. After
the Bulldogs scored on another touchdown pass and kicked a 36-yard
field goal in the third Yakima finally saw the end zone again.
Scoring on a 49-yard touchdown pass in the fourth bring the score to
24-14.
Eric Taylor would respond with a
65-yard scramble for a touchdown. Both sides would trade turnovers on
downs before Taylor would again find Oakes in the end zone for a
10-yard score. The Bulldogs defense would add insult to injury,
forcing a fumble which was picked up by Caleb Rodriguez who scored
their final touchdown. Yakima added a 10-yard touchdown pass but the
damage had been done. Final score: 45-21. Click here to view photos
from the game.
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