PRETTY PRAIRIE, Kan.—
The Pretty Prairie Bulldog football team was nothing short of stellar Friday night in its 52-0 rout over Canton-Galva.The Bulldogs scored on every possession, never let the Eagles cross the 40-yard line and allowed only one Canton-Galva first down. They ended the game at halftime by virtue of the eight-man mercy rule on homecoming night.
With the win, the Bulldogs moved to a 5-1 record, but more importantly, 3-0 in district play. They also perfected a few areas where they had struggled in previous outings.
“We had a couple of penalties, but we scored every time we had the ball. That’s the thing we’ve been struggling with the last couple of games. We left some points on the field, but today we didn’t do that,” said Bulldog head coach C.T. Young.
The Bulldogs racked up 217 yards rushing and went 8-12 in passing for 109 yards. The Eagles, meanwhile, had a negative 12 yards rushing and went 5-13 in the air for 33 yards.
Mark Schnittker led the offensive charge for Pretty Prairie with 130 yards on nine carries and three touchdowns – one a first-quarter 51-yard run. Alex Mains rushed for 58 yards and Keifer George had 55 with both scoring touchdowns. Mains also connected with Stetson Broce for the other two Bulldog TDs – one in the form of a 23-yard play and the other for a 27-yard touchdown.
But the Bulldog offense was only half the story.
A Cody Savage pass was intercepted by Bulldog Jacob Welker in the first quarter, with Welker carrying it to the 17-yard line, an opportunity seized by Mains and Broce on the next down for one of their two touchdown plays.
In the second half, Eagle punter Bastian Brass was taken down at the three-yard line by Broce, which was quickly followed by a three-yard touchdown run by Schnittker.
Canton-Galva’s lone first down came in the form of a Savage-to-Devin Helton pass that brought the Eagles to the 35-yard line. But the Bulldogs never allowed them to get past midfield.
“We’re getting better defensively, that’s for sure,” said Young.
While the Eagles posed little threat to Pretty Prairie, Young believes the Canton-Galva squad, led by first-year head coach Jeff Savage, will improve. Savage coached the last several seasons at Central-Burden.
“They’re in a rebuilding phase,” said Young. “(Savage) should get it turned around.”
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs are hoping to roll through the following round as next week they face Lincoln, who prior to Friday night were 0-2 in district play. But Young said the Leopards are bouncing back after some injuries and should pose a threat. Then, a week later, the Bulldogs take on undefeated Solomon.
“Both will be quality opponents,” said Young.
