Bulldogs fall short by four in season opener at Holly

It’s been eight months since Bulldog athletes have taken the field or court in any Colorado High School Activities Association sanctioned sport but that all came to a close on Saturday as fans eagerly awaited the return of fall sports. While volleyball is still on hold for a winter/spring season, football recently received nod to begin play following delays due to COVID-19 restrictions through the State. Haxtun officially opened the 2020 season on Saturday in Holly in a non-conference contest on a sunny afternoon in the south.

The road to Holly didn’t go as smooth as most had hoped as the football team found themselves on the side of the road in a broken-down bus near Burlington. Thanks to rides from parents the team made their way to Holly High School in time for an early afternoon kickoff. The Holly Wildcats struck first in the contest with a short, three-yard run into the end zone but the team fell short on the point-after attempt to leave the score 6-0 early. Haxtun would answer back and even the score with a 16-yard pass from returning quarterback Owen Knode to sophomore Michael Gerk. The Bulldogs attempted a two-point conversion but came up short in yards. The home team added one more touchdown to the board before the end of the first quarter to go up 13-6.

Shortly into the second quarter Holly added their third TD of the game with a short run into the end zone and added the two-points after for a 21-6 advantage but Haxtun was ready to battle. Knode found sophomore Kyle Fryrear open with a 23-yard pass for a quick six points to give the Bulldogs 12 total. Haxtun again attempted a two-point conversion but fell short. Looking to even out the score before half, the Bulldogs added another six points, again in the air, with an eight-yard Knode pass to Gerk. Third time’s a charm and Haxtun added the two points after to trail by just one at half time, 21-20.

The start of the third was all Holly as the team added back-to-back rushing touchdowns shortly after the half-way mark. But before the third quarter buzzer sound, Knode found Fryrear open for his second touchdown of the game with a 21-yard pass. The Bulldogs attempted a two-point conversion but wound up short of the goal. Haxtun headed into the final quarter trailing 35-26.

Early in the fourth Holly made their sixth trip into the end zone and sailed one through the uprights on the PAT after to take a 42-26 lead but the visiting Bulldogs weren’t done. Haxtun’s Kailin Kelley found a gap on the ground to put six more points on the board to narrow the scoring gap to 10. Once more, the Wildcats found themselves in scoring position and seconds later added a touchdown but Haxtun’s defense blocked their kick, giving the home team just six on the drive. The final minutes ticked away but the Bulldogs kept pressure on as they scored back-to-back touchdowns with a second Kelley rushing TD and a one-yard run from Knode in attempts to make a late-game comeback. In both final scoring drives, the Bulldogs attempted two-point pass conversions but fell short, ultimately falling short by four on the scoreboard, 48-44.

The Bulldogs completed 22 first downs in their 2020 debut including 10 on the ground, seven in the air and five off of penalities.

In his junior opener, Knode completed 12 of 24 passes for 137 yards and four touchdowns on the day. Gerk found himself on the receiving end of seven Knode passes for a total of 58 yards and two touchdowns. Fryrear caught three passes for a total of 42 yards and two touchdowns Saturday. Ozzy Coss tallied six yards off one catch and David Avery had 31 yards off one Knode pass.

On the ground, Gerk led the Bulldogs with 69 rushing yards from 11 carries followed by Kelley with 54 yards from 10 carries, including two touchdowns. Coss carried the ball eight times for 37 yards. Knode tallied 25 yards on the ground with 10 carries. Victor Knapp had 17 rushing yards on the day, including a two-point conversion just before half time.

Defensively, Fryrear and Knapp led the Bulldogs, each with nine tackles on the day; Fryrear tallied four solo and five assisted while Knapp had three solo tackles and six assisted. Knode had six solo tackles and two assisted for eight on the day followed by Michael Gerk with three solo and four assisted for a total of seven. Ryan Tempel had four total tackles followed by Avery with three.

The Bulldogs made their way home on a Burlington High School bus following a close, four-point loss in their season opener to Holly. As they take the field for practice this week, the team will prepare for their first conference contest of the season as they host their home opener with Dayspring Christian Academy on Friday night. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

According to Maxpreps, the Dayspring Christian Eagles opened their season last week with a 56-32 win over Springfield.