|
|
Weekly Articles By Orin Hansen The 2007 Bulldog Football Season is underway. Although the Bulldogs graduated Colby Diede and All State Center/Linebacker Nathan Carroll, the return of two All State selections, four all conference selections, and a pile of seniors has the Bulldogs thinking very optimistic this upcoming season. With the loss of the two seniors, the Bulldogs gained two freshman, Ryan Bruski and Wilson Venhaus, to balance out the roster. Another acquisition to the Bulldog roster includes new Assistant Coach Brian Stern who will accompany Head Coach, Tenadore Kittelmann. The Bulldogs will kick off the season August 31, when they travel to North Dakota to face the Bowman Bulldogs.
Bulldogs @ Bulldogs August 31, 2007 August 31 marked the date on which the Carter County Bulldogs would kick off their season. They would travel to North Dakota to play the Bulldogs of Bowman County. Bowman's large numbers and the fact that Carter County had to adjust to an 11 man defense, proved to be no task for the Carter County Bulldogs as they gained an early lead, with Pat Hansen scoring the first touchdown. After four more touchdowns by Orin Hansen, Orry Fruit, Ches Meyer, and another by Pat Hansen, and only one by Bowman, Carter County had a lead of 38-7. The second half, the Ekalaka Bulldogs came out fired up and finished the game 50-7. The Bulldogs will have their first conference game September 7, when they host the Fairview Warriors.
Bulldogs vs. Warriors September 7, 2007 The earth shook when the Fairview Warriors stepped off the bus. The enormous build of these men trembled the CCHS parking lot with every step. The sight was intimidating to say the least, especially compared to the small, but mighty Ekalaka Bulldogs. However, all fear was laid to rest when the Bulldogs took an early lead of 28-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Bulldogs allowed the Warriors to get on the boards in the second quarter, but the Bulldogs still had plenty of momentum going into the second half as the score was 48-8. The Bulldog second string took over in the second half and put the game away with a final score of 62-16. Next week the Bulldogs travel to face their arch rival and nemesis, the Wibaux Longhorns, in a contest which should be nothing short of heart pumping, adrenaline racing entertainment.
Bulldogs @ Longhorns September 15, 2007 Week three of the Carter County Bulldog's Football Season would present their most grueling challenge yet. Arguably the most anticipated game of the year, the Bulldogs would face off against their rival Wibaux Longhorns. The bleachers on both sides of the field were filled with anxious spectators. They would get their money's worth. This epic battle between the top two teams in the East would pan out to be one of the most thrilling games of the year. Despite a series of mistakes by the Bulldogs in the first quarter, they managed to hold the Longhorns to 6 points. The offenses of both teams took over in the second quarter with Ekalaka scoring 22 points and Wibaux scoring 20 to end the half with a score of 26-22 in favor of Wibaux. The third quarter seemed to compare well to the first, with neither team scoring more than one touchdown and Wibaux still leading with a score of 34-28. However, the hot weather, the opposing crowd, and the deficit in the score would not bring the Bulldogs down. The Bulldogs dug deep and scored a whopping 22 points in fourth quarter, while holding Wibaux to 6. The final score was 50-40, Bulldogs. This was the first time the Longhorns had lost a conference game since the last time Ekalaka defeated them in 2003. It was also only the third time Ekalaka has beaten Wibaux since 1980.
Bulldogs @ Red Hawks September 22, 2007 There was a lot of pressure on the Bulldogs of Carter County going into week four of the football season. Coming off a huge win against their rival Wibaux Longhorns, many people questioned if that win was just luck. The Bulldogs put these questions to rest when they traveled to Medicine Lake to play the Froid/Lake/Grenora Red Hawks. Total bus hours more than quadrupled the time played as the Bulldogs traveled nearly a total of 10 hours to play only a 2 hour game. The Bulldogs made fairly quick work of the Red hawks when they took an early lead of 34-0 in the first quarter. The Bulldogs scored 24 more points and allowed one touchdown in the second quarter to end the half with a score of 58-6. With a running clock in the second half, the Bulldog second string put the Red Hawks away, making the final score 74-18. Ekalaka will host the Scobey Spartans next week in their Homecoming game.
Bulldogs vs. Spartans September 28, 2007 In the midst of all the Homecoming activities, the Bulldogs kept their focus and composure when the Scobey Spartans came to town, as they improved their record to 5-0. The Bulldogs got off to a slow start. The incredible size and speed of the Spartan defense seemed impenetrable, allowing the Bulldogs only 6 points in the first quarter. However as time wore on, and the Bulldogs persisted, they began to pull away from the Spartans, leaving the score at halftime 26-6. The first half had the Bulldogs shaken up a bit, only leading by 20. As anyone who is familiar with 8-man football knows, 20 points is not a large margin, and the Bulldogs were expecting Scobey to come out strong in the second half. The Bulldogs matched the level of intensity in the second half when they put together 20 more points and held the Spartans scoreless to end the game with a score of 46-6. Next Friday, the Bulldogs will host the Jordan Mustangs.
Bulldogs vs. Mustangs October 5, 2007 It was the same story only different chapter this week for the Bulldogs of Carter County when they hosted the Jordan Mustangs. For the past two years, the Bulldogs have played on the muddy, treacherous terrain of the Jordan football field and they were ready to bring it home for the first time since 2004. Coach Tenadore Kittelmann had the Bulldogs well prepared for the contest, not wanting to relive the games in the past two years, when the Bulldogs just barely defeated the Mustangs. All of the hard work during the week seemed to pay off Friday night. The Bulldogs came out firing, ending the first quarter with a score of 28-0 and finishing off the first half with a lead of 50-0. The Bulldog second string took over in the second half and eventually put the Mustangs away, 70-0. Next week the Bulldogs will travel North to face the the Culbertson-Bainville Cowboys.
Bulldogs @ Cowboys October 12, 2007 Week seven of the Bulldog football season came with one of the most crucial games of the season. The Bulldogs traveled north to face a tough Culbertson-Bainville football team. There was much pressure riding on the Bulldogs. Not only were they the first place team in the conference and defending that title, but this game would ultimately decide whether or not the Bulldogs would win the Conference Championship. The Cowboys came out, guns blazin', as they drew first blood, scoring the first touchdown of the game. The Bulldogs answered two plays later to tie the game. With the momentum on their side, the Bulldogs put together 40 more points before the end of the first half and allowed the Cowboys only one more touchdown, leaving the score 48-16 at the half. The Bulldogs didn't let down in the second half, scoring 14 more points and allowing the Cowboys only 8, leaving the final score 62-24. This big win over the Cowboys locked in the Conference Championship for the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs have shared the conference title in 1990 and 2003, but have not rightfully won a conference championship since 1976, 31 years ago. Next week the Bulldogs host the Circle-Richey Wildcats for the Bulldog's Senior night.
Bulldogs vs. Wildcats October 19, 2007 The CCHS Bulldogs would cap off their regular season when the Circle-Richey Wildcats came to town. Being the very last game this years Seniors would play under the lights, and with a large portion of the Bulldog squad consisting of Seniors, the Dogs came ready to make the best of their final night game. The Bulldogs got an early lead of 28-0 by the end of the first quarter and scored another 20 points in the second quarter to bring score to 48-8. Not wanting to risk any injuries for playoffs, Coach Tenadore Kittelmann sat most of the Bulldog first string in the second half. Needless to say, the Bulldog "closers" did as expected and finished the Wildcats, leaving the final score at 54-22. This win sealed the Bulldog's perfect regular season. The first round of the Montana Class C playoffs begin Saturday, October 27, and the Carter County Bulldogs will host the Culbertson-Bainville Cowboys at 1:00 p.m. at Rowley Field. The 2007 Class C Playoff Bracket can be found at http://www.mhsa.org/Football/2007-08FootballBrkt-C.pdf.
Bulldogs vs. Cowboys October 27, 2007 The Carter County Bulldogs notched their first playoff win of the 2007 season when they faced off with the number four seed, Culbertson Cowboys. It was a bittersweet victory for the Bulldogs as they won the game 56-0, but lost starting tailback, Pat Hansen, in the process. However, the late first quarter loss did not dampen the spirits of the Bulldogs as they increased their lead of 16 to 28 to end the first half. The Bulldogs were all business in the second half. With a solid defense, allowing the Cowboys a total of zero points throughout the game, and an offense that doubled their first half score, the Bulldogs closed the game with a score of 56-0. Next week the Bulldogs will host the Stanford Wolves for the State Class-C Quarterfinal Game. The #3 seeded Stanford defeated the #2 seeded Absarokee 50-38, last week in their first round playoff game.
Bulldogs vs. Wolves November 3, 2007 Injuries finally caught up with the Carter County Bulldogs as they ended their season in the quarterfinal round of the Montana Class C, 8 man playoffs when they hosted the Stanford Wolves. The Wolves came out fighting, scoring first on a 30 yard pass. This startled the Bulldogs for a brief moment. That was until the Bulldogs marched down the field allowing quarterback Orry Fruit to scamper across the goal line to even up the score. The Bulldogs used this momentum to put together two more touchdowns before the end of the half. The Bulldogs were feeling good going into halftime as they had a lead of 24-14. However with the loss of fullback and inside linebacker, Orin Hansen in the second quarter, the Bulldogs knew that they would need some players to step up. They did just that. Steven Salyers, Clint Mrnak and Andy Young, just a few of these replacements, played like champions. Quarterback Orry Fruit and his band of warrior Bulldogs fought hard in the second half battle. However, the uneven ratio of healthy players between Ekalaka and Stanford gave Stanford the edge they had been looking for all game and allowed them to come back from their second half deficit to win 34-32.
2007 All Conference Selections A good jag of Carter County Bulldogs were honored with the prestigious title of "All Conference". Feeling like these brave lads deserve world wide recognition, I am showing off their greatness on this wonderful website to the entire internet community. First Team Defense Jeremy Pardee-End Orin Hansen-Outside Linebacker Matt McCabe-Nose Guard Orry Fruit-Safety Pat Hansen-Inside Linebacker Second Team Defense Brent Fix-Nose Guard Ches Meyer-Outside Linebacker Steven Salyers-Punter First Team Offense Jordan Pardee-Center Orin Hansen-Fullback Jeremy Pardee-Guard Pat Hansen-Tailback Ches Meyer-End Orry Fruit-Quarterback Steven Salyers-Wide Receiver Steven Salyers-Kicker
|