Bulldogs to host Braves Friday in Battle Lake

Braxtyn Cameron steps back to pass during Friday’s district game against the Parkers Prairie Panthers in Henning. The Bulldogs lost the game by a score of 30-16.

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

In a match up between two of the top teams in Section 6A, the Otter Tail Central Bulldogs hosted Parkers Prairie in a match up between a pair of 4-1 teams. 

William Schwartz rushed for a pair of touchdowns during Friday’s game against the Panthers.

Unfortunately, Parkers Prairie was able to outscore the Bulldogs 30-8 from the second quarter on as they came away with a 30-16 win in Henning. 

William Schwartz put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard in the first quarter as he scored on a three-yard run. OTC converted the two-point conversion to put the host team up 8-0. 

Parkers Prairie answered with a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter on a Gavin Boesl 19-yard run and an AJ Woodworth 14-yard pass from Nolan Boesl to put the Panthers in front 16-8. 

Schwartz found the end zone for the second time in the half later in the second quarter on a one-yard run and the Bulldogs converted the two-point conversion to leave the score at 16-16 at halftime.

Brenden Weller dives in an attempt to bring down Nolan Boesl of Parkers Prairie during Friday’s game against the Panthers.

The Woodworth and Nolan Boesl connection continued in the third quarter when Woodworth caught an 18-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. The two-point conversion was no good to leave the score at 22-16 heading into the final 12 minutes of action.

The Panthers put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter when Xavier Richardson scored on a 13-yard run and Parkers Prairie converted the two-point conversion to leave the score at 30-16 in favor of the visiting Panthers.

While OTC ran more plays than Parkers Prairie at 60-52, the Panthers outgained the Bulldogs 298-196 in total offense. Just as it has almost all season, a vast majority of OTC’s offensive output came on the ground as they gained 156 of their yards on the ground. The Panthers passed for 74 yards and rushed for 224 yards. The two teams also combined for 29 first downs and each committed one turnover in the game. 

Reece Christensen chases down Boesl during Friday’s district game against the Parkers Prairie Panthers.

Schwartz led the way offensively with 25 rushes for 91 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Tayden Soma rushed nine times for 46 yards. Reece Christensen rushed three times for 19 yards, while Braxtyn Cameron went 4-14 passing for 40 yards and one interception.

Eric Stans caught one pass for 19 yards, while Steven Mills caught one pass for 10 yards, Schwartz caught one pass for seven yards and Dawson Bushman caught one pass for four yards. 

The loss drops the Bulldogs to 4-2 on the season as they will host the winless Menahga Braves in Battle Lake. The game is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. The Braves come into the game with a record of 0-6 with losses to Maple Lake 30-24, Frazee 44-6, Lake Park-Audubon 27-14, Parkers Prairie 54-12, Wadena-Deer Creek 36-30 and New York Mills 42-20.

Steven Mills and Ryan Despard try to push the pile ahead for Dawson Bushman who had the ball in his hands during Friday’s game against Henning.

The Braves average 17.7 points per game on offense, while surrendering 38.8 points per game on defense.

The Bulldogs currently average 19.3 points per game on offense, while giving up 22.3 points per game on defense. 

OTC is currently in a battle for a top four seed in Section 6A. Breckenridge is currently 6-0 and the top ranked team in the QRF, while Walker-Hackensack-Akeley and Parkers Prairie are both 5-1 and right on the tail of the Cowboys. OTC and Lake Park-Audubon and OTC are both 4-2 on the season, while Nevis and Pine River-Backus are both 2-4 and New York Mills is in eighth place with a record of 1-5.