The Corrigan-Camden Bulldogs remain undefeated with a 26-6 district win over the Normangee Panthers on Friday.
Despite a shaky road performance, the playoff-bound Bulldogs pulled off a third-straight district win to put themselves in the best position in recent years.
“I feel good about where we are sitting, and I wanted to be here with the chance to play Leon for a guaranteed share of the district title," said Bulldog head coach Brett Ratliff. “At the same time, we have to play a cleaner football game. Obviously, it was good enough to win tonight, but that is not going to cut it in big games and big moments.”
Ratliff explained how his offense modified its ground attack against the Panthers’ defensive front throughout the night.
“Normangee is dangerous with the fact that they had nothing to lose, but we did what we were supposed to when it mattered” Ratliff said. “We knew we could ground and pound. They showed a different defensive front than they had all year. So, we had to play around with some things and try to adjust. I think we did that well in the second half. We did put ourselves behind the sticks with costly penalties. We have to fix that.”
Bulldog senior running back Mason Murphy got things started for Corrigan's offense on a gain to the Normangee 40-yard line.
Corrigan's senior quarterback, William Ratliff, kept it on fourth down for a big run to keep the chains moving, followed by junior running back Derrick Reagie on another fourth down.
Later, facing a fourth-and-long, Ratliff would take a sack before getting off a throw into the end zone.
Early in the second quarter, Bulldog junior tight end Braylon Levy caught a contested pass over the middle to reach Panther territory on the next possession. Corrigan was set back on a holding call, but Reagie would eventually respond with a 37-yard rushing touchdown for the 7-0 Bulldog lead.
In the final minute of the half, Murphy snatched an interception that would set up another scoring opportunity for Corrigan before halftime.
Bulldog senior tight end Tahj Thomas caught a 41-yard bomb from Ratliff for the last-second touchdown to make it 14-0 at halftime.
Corrigan's defense forced a punt to start the second half. This set up Ratliff to run for a first down into Normangee territory.
After marching into the red zone, the Panther defense would hold strong close to the goal line, forcing an unsuccessful field goal attempt by Bulldog senior kicker Ismael Santoyo late in the third quarter.
On the next Bulldog drive, Reagie broke free along the right side for a 33-yard touchdown to further extend the lead 20-0 after a missed extra point.
Normangee’s offense would get bailed out on an underthrown ball for pass interference, which set them up in Bulldog territory. A deep pass put the Panthers near the goal line and senior quarterback Marshall Harris would finally put Normangee on the board 20-6 with a late three-yard touchdown run.
Ratliff powered up the middle on another massive gain to nearly reach the end zone, then punched it in for another late touchdown, increasing the spread in the final minutes.
The Bulldogs will play their next district match at home against the Leon Cougars. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium.
