BAL football: Morrisville 20, Lower Moreland 19Bulldogs nail down first win
Posted: Friday, October 28, 2011 10:20 pm | Updated: 1:45 am, Sat Oct 29, 2011.
MORRISVILLE — The Bulldogs bagged an early Halloween treat Friday night.
In a battle of winless Bicentennial Athletic League teams, Morrisville came away with the win, 20-19, at Robert Morris Field. Not only was it the first win of the 2011 season, but also it marked the first victory for first-year coach Bill Quill.
“I was a little teary-eyed there for a little bit,” Quill said after the win. “It just goes to show you that (the players) still care.”
Morrisville outscored Lower Moreland, 14-6, in the second half. The spark came at the start of the third quarter, when Morrisville recovered an onside kick.
After a fumble, the Bulldogs’ defense held on fourth down. Seven plays later, junior quarterback Elighar Rankins scampered for a 16-yard touchdown.
The Lions answered with a Ryan Killian 56-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to push their lead to 19-14.
It was the last time they would see the end zone.
“We had to keep our heads up. They scored and we came right back,” Rankins said. “It all started with the line.”
Morrisville’s front five — Chris Peluzzo, Anthony Bollard, JaQuan Billups, Mark Maria and Donald Kinslow — tamed the Lions’ defense. Their push in the trenches showed on Morrisville’s winning drive.
On the ninth play, running back{/span} {span}Eric Wilcox found a hole in the middle of the field and dashed for 26 yards, sealing the win. That drive included the conversion of a fourth-and-10, thanks to a Rankins 16-yard carry.
“We played four quarters of football this week,” Quill said. “We’re getting better each week. I see it.”
Rankins finished with 67 yards on 12 carries, and he also connected on three of eight passes for 38 yards, including a 27-yard completion to Uriel Savage. Wilcox carried the ball 11 times for 64 yards and a score, all in the second half.
Lower Moreland (0-9, 0-6 BAL) outgained Morrisville, 234 yards to 211. The Lions only had one first down in the second half, and all 25 yards in penalties came after halftime.{/span}
“I think a long time ago, I said, ‘These kids need to practice harder and work harder. And then we’ll become a team.’ That’s starting to happen a little bit,” Quill said.
Defensive coordinator Jason Bresnen motivated his players by carrying the spine from a human skeleton with him each day this week and bringing it to practice. He used it as a metaphor for the Bulldogs’ defense to “man up.”
Morrisville (1-6, 1-5 BAL) didn’t allow the Lions to string together more than six consecutive plays in the fourth quarter.
“It’s like a little reward,” said Morrisville senior linebacker Landon Calao. “Last week, we had the lead and we let it slip. So we worked hard this week to keep the lead.”
7 comments:
so excited for the team! this was a big win and they needed to know they could do it! Heart and soul is what our kids are all about. Congrats!
THANK GOD the community stood up to the SIC School Board and demanded that Jason Bresnan be kept as a coach after they forced him to resign. All the efforts of the team and coaching staff are coming together to make the Bulldogs a winning team.
GREAT WIN LAST NITE!!
SIC Hellman we got your back coach Bresnen. Yeah right! He and the tech school bus co. are in the same leaky boat without a paddle.
Go Bulldogs!!!!!!!!! We're with you even when the school board isn't.
THANK GOD the Bulldogs coaching staff loves the kids on the team and are happy to work with them above and beyond to make them better.
Too bad the Morrisville SIC School Board only loves themselves and can't seem to work with anybody outside of their small group on anything. The School District would be so much better off if they could. They won't even try.
Good game last night.
If there are any players or coaches reading this, note that Bristol was at the game taking notes. Time to switch up the playbook!
Great game last night Bulldogs. Like Pete said there were a lot of Bristol players and coaches at the game. They are watching you. I am confident that you will bring home that Turkey trophy where it belongs. I will be there cheering you on.
Congratulations! What a team you are becoming. Stay strong. Go Blue and Gold!
I think they still need to stress the message that practice leads to victory. Don't think now that you've got one the rest will be easy. Stay eligible, stay out of trouble, and stay on the practice field.
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