The Corrigan-Camden Bulldogs blew out the Elkhart Elks on the road 49-14 on Friday.
It was a much-needed bounce back win for the Bulldogs, as they dominated in the ground game and limited Elkhart's scoring opportunities.
“Our players knew the importance of the game and felt a sense of urgency, but we did not finish the half as well,” said Bulldog head coach Brett Ratliff. “I challenged the guys to come out and play two great quarters of consistent football like we want to win a district title.”
Corrigan's offense was quick to establish a strong run game, with senior running back Derrick Reagie on the opening possession.
Reagie exploded along the left side for a huge gain to the Elkhart 20-yard line.
Later, Bulldog senior quarterback William Ratliff got the wind knocked out of him on a running play and had to step out.
Ratliff returned a couple of plays later and on fourth-and-goal, he would take a one-yard keeper for the early touchdown to give Corrigan the 7-0 lead.
On the next Bulldog drive, Ratliff broke away again for a long-distance touchdown run to extend the lead 14-0 late in the first quarter.
Elkhart finally started to move the chains into Bulldog territory on its next possession.
From inside the red zone, Elk senior quarterback Coyt Cooper connected on a rollout to junior receiver Riley Phillips to cut the lead 14-7 early in the second quarter.
Reagie responded again, outrunning Elk defenders for an explosive touchdown run to regain the two-score lead.
The Elks later turned the ball over on downs, with Corrigan giving it right back on a fumbled handoff.
Elkhart converted a crucial fourth-down pass in Bulldog territory.
Corrigan quickly moved the chains to try setting up a scoring opportunity going into halftime.
However, with the clock running down, the Bulldogs had to rush their march down the field. A bad snap pushed them back to the 15-yard line with just seconds to go.
Instead, it would be a rare unsuccessful field goal attempt from Bulldog senior kicker Ismael Santoyo to keep the score 21-7 at halftime.
Elkhart was forced to punt to start the third quarter. Ratliff made a big gain into Elkhart territory, which led to Reagie walking in for another rushing touchdown, extending the lead 28-7 late in the third.
Later, a rushed and deflected pass was intercepted by Bulldog sophomore defensive back Blake Elem to steal another possession for the Bulldogs going into the fourth.
This led to a bomb from Ratliff to Bulldog senior tight end Tahj Thomas into the end zone, further cushioning the late lead.
Bulldog senior Mason Murphy would also get a late touchdown for Corrigan.
In addition, a late fumble turnover by the Elks helped set up another long pass from Ratliff to Thomas for the final score of the night at 49-14.
The Bulldogs now have a 2-2 record going into their final non-district match, hosting the Joaquin Rams this Friday.
