Bulldogs fall to Braves 22-8 for fifth loss of the season
Sports | Published on October 20, 2026 at 5:36pm EDT | Author: Kendall Koenen
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By Chad Koenen
Publisher
Otter Tail Central scored first, but the Menahga Braves scored 22 unanswered points to power past the Bulldogs 22-8 on Wednesday night. The loss drops the Bulldogs to 2-5 on the season and is the fourth straight loss for OTC with just one game remaining in the regular season.
The Bulldogs took the lead in the first quarter when Trystan Loghry scored on a five-yard touchdown. OTC converted the two-point conversion to take an 8-0 lead.
Unfortunately, it was all Braves from there as Connor Foley tied the game up at 8-8 when he scored on a five-yard run and Menahga converted the two-point conversion. The Braves took the lead for good a short time later when they intercepted an Erik Stans pass and returned it for a touchdown to make the score 14-8 at the halftime break.
In the third quarter the Braves gave themselves a bit of breathing room as Foley found the second zone for the second time, this time from 16-yards out, to make the score 22-8. After a scoreless fourth quarter Menahga secured its fifth win of the season, while OTC dropped its fourth straight game.
The Bulldogs did most of their damage on the ground as they outgained the Braves by a 208-153 margin in rushing, but the Braves held a commanding 100-18 yard advantage through the air.
OTC went an impressive 6-9 on third downs, compared to 4-10 for Menahga but turnovers proved to be a tough thing for OTC to overcome as the Bulldogs turned the ball over four times in the contest, including three interceptions and a fumble.
Stans went 2-7 passing for 18 yards with Todd Bjerke being the leading receiver with one catch for 18 yards.
Keaston Thorpe led the way rushing as he rushed 18 times for 108 yards, while Loghry rushed 16 times for 70 yards. Reece Christensen rushed four times for 30 yards and Stans rushed two times for no yards.
The Bulldogs will look to snap their losing streak on Wednesday night when they host Frazee in their regular season finale. The Hornets come into the game with an identical 2-5 record after falling to Lake Park-Audubon by a score of 48-34 on Wednesday night. The Hornets come into the game averaging 19.3 points per game on offense, while giving up 26.6 points per game on defense.
The Bulldogs currently average 12.3 points per game on offense, while giving up 24.3 points on the defensive end of the field.
The Section 6A tournament will kick off on Tuesday, Oct. 27 with the Bulldogs likely beginning the playoffs on the road. The section semi-finals are set for Saturday, Oct. 31 at the high seed with the section finals set for Friday, Nov. 6 at 10 a.m. at the FargoDome.