Rudyard Snaps Long Skid to Sault High

John Rogers

Rudyard snapped a 16-game losing streak to Sault High with a 26-20 Straits Area Conference win to remain undefeated at 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the league Friday, September 9.

The Bulldogs and Blue Devils haven't played each season, but the streak dates back to the early 1960's.

"We are taking one game at a time," said Bulldogs Coach Pat Maloney. "We haven't looked ahead and have focused on the moment."

Trent Salo led the Rudyard offense with 102 yards on 14 carries and completed one pass for 39 yards. Owen McGrath rushed for 49 yards and completed three of nine passes for 46 yards, and Mike Chantos added 18 yards on five attempts.

Dan Bartley

The Bulldogs defense was led by Salo with 10 tackles. Dan Bartley added eight stops, John Rogers chipped in seven with one fumble recovery, Jordan Gaskin and McGrath tallied six, Nick Pavolski charted five, Travis Clegg marked four, and Lee Stevens had one sack.

The Rudyard defense set up their first touchdown as Rogers recovered the Sault High fumble at the Blue Devils 21-yard line. Two plays later, Chontos scored from five yards out for a 6-0 lead with 36 seconds left in the first 12 minutes.

The Bulldogs increased the margin to 14-0 on a McGrath 15-yard run and Rogers caught the McGrath two-point conversion pass.

Sault High scored and added the two-point conversion inside the five-minute mark of the second quarter to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 14-8.

On the ensuing kickoff, Chontos carried the pigskin to the Blue Devils’ 45-yard line and two plays later Salo completed a 39-yard halfback option pass to Rogers at the 3:20 mark, for a 20-8 advantage.

The Blue Devils closed out the first half scoring with a late touchdown for a 20-14 halftime score.

Sault High notched the score at 20-20 with a late third quarter touchdown, but the Bulldogs answered with a 19-yard scoring pass from McGrath to Rogers for the six-point lead.

Defense dominated the remainder of the game as Rudyard reached the Blue Devils 20-yard line on two occasions, but couldn't punch the ball in and Sault High failed to cross the Bulldogs’ 25 yard line.

"This was a physical game, but no serious injuries. Our attitude is very positive and we will start preparing for the Newberry game Friday at Bulldogs Field," Coach Maloney said.