OTC to host Roseau on Friday in BL

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

Bricker Bladow needed just 10 attempts to rush for 138 yards as the Otter Tail Central Bulldogs came away with a commanding 50-6 win over Underwood on Friday night. 

As a team, the Bulldogs outgained the Rockets by a 365 to 96 yard margin, including a 227 to 72 advantage on the ground. The Bulldogs also held the Rockets to just 2-12 on third downs and did not allow Underwood to convert a fourth down throughout the entire game.

Mason Hammer put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard in the first quarter when he scored on a 47-yard run. Bladow converted the two-point conversion to put OTC up by a score of 8-0. Jack Mekalson made the game 14-0 when he found Mason Dalluge on a 38-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion failed.

In the second quarter, Bladow dashed by the Rockets team for the first of his three touchdown runs, this time coming on a 73-yard run. Bradyn Roisum converted the two-point conversion to make the game 22-0 in favor of OTC. Hammer made the game 30-0 when he found the end zone from 2-yards out and the Bulldogs converted the two-point attempt.

OTC stayed right on track coming out of the halftime break as Bladow scored a pair of touchdowns from 2-yards out and 27-yards out to make the score 44-0 in favor of the Bulldogs.

Underwood cracked the scoreboard for the first time in the fourth quarter on a 24-yard pass, before OTC returned the subsequent kick off 97-yards to put the Bulldogs up 50-6. 

Despite dominating the Rockets on the scoreboard, the Bulldogs lost the turnover battle as OTC lost 4 fumbles. They forced a pair of Rocket interceptions and 1 Underwood turnover. 

Mekalson only needed to throw the ball 9 times in the game, but completed 7 of the passes for 138 yards and a touchdown.

Bladow rushed 10 times for 138 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Hammer rushed 7 times for 75 yards and 2 touchdowns. Mekalson rushed 1 time for 1 yard.

Dalluge caught a pair of passes for 48 yards and a touchdown, while Drew Johnson caught 1 pass for 47 yards and Owen Buehler caught 4 passes for 43 yards. 

With the win the Bulldogs improve to 3-0 on the season. They will host Roseau on Friday night in Battle Lake beginning at 6 p.m. The Rams come into the game with a record of 1-2 after falling to Parkers Prairie by a score of 36-14 last week. The Rams lost to Warroad in the opening game of the season by a score of 20-6, before they defeating Underwood by a score of 14-6. Roseau are averaging 11.3 points per game on offense, while giving up 20.7 points per game on defense. 

The Bulldogs, on the other hand, are averaging 40.3 points per game on offense, while giving up 13.3 points per game on defense.