Bulldogs fall to Cowboys 35-0 in section semi-finals

Photo by Chad Koenen, contributed
Above and below: Otter Tail Central senior running back William Schwartz was joined on the field after he rushed for 1,000 yards on the season during the opening round of the Section 6A tournament on Tuesday night. The senior led the team in rushing with 131 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win.

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

Otter Tail Central running back William Schwartz eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for the season as the Bulldogs defeated Pine River-Backus 20-6 on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, OTC’s season came to an end on Saturday when the Bulldogs fell top seeded Breckenridge 35-0 to end their season in the Section 6A semi-finals.

The Bulldogs end their season with a record of 6-4 overall. 

Tuesday

Fourth seeded OTC used a dominant ground attack to rush past the fifth seeded Pine River-Backus Tigers on Tuesday night in Battle Lake. The Bulldogs rushed for 363 yards on the ground, while not completing a pass in the game, and holding PRB to just 139 yards of total offense on their way to a 30-6 win over the Tigers.

Anthony Rousu carries the ball during the Otter Tail Central game against Pine River-Backus on Tuesday.

Senior William Schwartz put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard in the first quarter when he scored on an 11-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion was successful to put OTC in front 8-0. Schwartz scored his second touchdown of the half in the second quarter when he found the end zone on a six-yard run. The two-point conversion was once again successful to give the Bulldogs a 16-0 lead in the second quarter. 

PRB answered with a touchdown of its own in the second quarter on a four-yard run to leave the score at 16-6 at halftime.

It was more of the same for OTC in the second half as Reece Christensen recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown in the third quarter and Trystan Loghry scored on a 13-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to put the game on ice and give OTC a 30-6 win in the opening round of the section tournament. 

Anthony Suchy blocks a Tiger defender in Battle Lake last week.

The Bulldog defense had a solid game as they gave up just 92 yards passing and 47 yards on the ground. OTC went just 1-4 on third downs, but were able to go 2-3 on fourth down to keep their drives alive. 

Schwartz rushed 20 times for 131 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win, while Christensen rushed six times for 64 yards. Quarterback Braxtyn Cameron went 0-2 passing, but rushed five times for 44 yards. Loghry rushed six times for 40 yards and a touchdown, while Maison Barbre rushed two times for 34 yards, Tayden Soma rushed two times for 31 yards, Sauer rushed one time for 11 yards and Anthony Rousu rushed one time for eight yards in the win. 

Saturday

OTC fell to undefeated Breckenridge on Saturday by a score of 35-0. After falling to the Cowboys by a score of 42-0 on Friday, Sept. 26, the Bulldog defense held its own in the first half as they trailed just 7-0 at halftime.

OTC even had a chance to tie, or take the lead, late in the first half with a drive that ended inside the Cowboy 20-yard line without a score. 

Breckenridge took over in the second half with four touchdowns (two each in the third and fourth quarters) that led to a 35-0 win for the Cowboys. 

The Cowboys out gained the Bulldogs by a 335-192 yard advantage in total offense, while holding a more narrow 237-156 yard advantage on the ground. 

OTC went 3-11 on third down, but were able to keep several drives alive after going 3-4 on fourth downs. 

With the win the Cowboys will take on Parkers Prairie in the Section 6A championship game on Friday at 12:30 p.m. at the FargoDome. The second seeded Panthers defeated third seeded Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 52-0 to advance to the championship game.  

The Bulldogs were led offensively by William Schwartz who rushed 21 times for 78 yards, while Tayden Soma rushed nine times for 43 yards. Braxtyn Cameron rushed three times for 16 yards and went 2-7 passing for 36 yards through the air. Trystan Loghry rushed two times for eight yards, Steven Mills rushed one time for six yards and Anthony Rousu rushed one time for five yards.

Ryan Despard led the team with one catch for 24 yards, while Eric Stans caught one pass for 12 yards. 

On the other side of the bracket, second seeded Parkers Prairie defeated third seeded Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 52-0 to advance to Friday’s Section 6A championship game at the FargoDome against the Cowboys.