The Corrigan-Camden Bulldogs suffered a 43-7 blowout loss on the road against the Lovelady Lions to close out the regular season Friday.
With that loss, the Bulldogs finished third in district and will need a significant bounce back performance in their bi-district playoff match Thursday in College Station.
The speed and power in Lovelady’s rush attack outmatched Corrigan on defense. The Bulldog offense also struggled to finish drives, despite occasional sparks.
“We had just won three in a row and almost felt too comfortable going in, but they came in much more physical. We had not seen that in a while. By the time we adjusted in the second half, it was too late. Some of the errors on both sides hurt our momentum at the worst times,” said Bulldog head coach Brett Ratliff. “We needed to see this going into the playoffs, though. A wakeup call is not always a bad thing.”
After an early three-and-out by Corrigan, Lovelady receiver Isaiah Chaisson flew past the secondary and caught a wide-open pass in stride from quarterback Luther Joiner.
This put the Lions up early 8-0 after the successful two-point try.
The Bulldogs botched the following punt and Lovelady running back Moises Vallejo followed up with a sprint up the middle for another long-distance touchdown.
This extended the lead to 15-0 late in the first quarter.
Bulldog junior Amos Kiel took the following kickoff for a great return, getting field position in Lion territory. A deep pass interference call helped advance to the red zone.
However, on first-and-goal, Bulldog sophomore quarterback Mikey Murphy got picked on a rollout pass in the end zone for a costly turnover.
Joiner broke free on a couple of big runs to quickly move the chains, then finished that drive on a touchdown run to make it 21-0 in the second quarter.
Corrigan stole a possession after an interception late in the half, but could not make anything of it.
Lovelady connected on a few big pass plays before Chaisson took a reception along the side for another score before the half.
The Lions had a long scoring drive to start the third quarter, which ended with another touchdown run by Joiner, as Lovelady enjoyed a 36-0 lead.
Corrigan finally struck back late in the third quarter, when junior quarterback Da’Tavin Love connected on a floater to Kiel for a touchdown to cut it to 36-7 late.
However, Joiner answered right back with another high-speed run and touchdown for the final score.
Corrigan will begin its postseason Thursday when the Bulldogs face the Rosebud-Lott Cougars in bi-district.
The Bulldogs (6-4) finished third in their district with a 4-2 record, while Rosebud-Lott (9-1) claimed the runner-up spot with a 5-1 record in its district.
Under head coach Brandon Hicks, the Cougars won their first nine games before falling to district champion Thorndale, 48-25, in the regular-season finale.
Rosebud-Lott also finished 9-3 last season, advancing to the area round before falling to Refugio.
The Cougars feature a balanced offensive attack averaging nearly 435 yards and 49 points per game.
Senior quarterback Pryce Rabroker leads the offense with 27 touchdown passes, while junior running back Zaylon Wells has accounted for 20 total touchdowns.
Junior receiver Kaiden Vandiver provides another threat, averaging approximately 70 receiving yards per game.
Defensively, senior linebacker Hugo Costilla leads the Cougars with seven tackles per game.
Corrigan will look to establish its running game behind senior Derrick Reagie while limiting Rosebud-Lott’s explosive offensive production.
Controlling possessions and avoiding costly mistakes could prove critical against a Cougar team that has scored at least 40 points in eight of its 10 games.
“Rosebud is very talented and athletic. They are likely to spread us out since their quarterback can run and throw. We have to limit our mistakes and put them in long yardage situations,” Ralliff said.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Tigerland Stadium in College Station.
