The Bulldogs defeated the Page Sand Devils 52-14 in Winslow last Friday night. The win improved Winslow’s record to 7-3 for the season. Page fell to 6-4 for the season.
The Bulldogs got on the board without ever touching the ball. They scored a safety when Page centered the ball over the punter’s head and out of the end zone. Winslow led 2-0 with the game barely started and with good field position on its first possession. Page got a break, though, and recovered a Bulldog fumble just in Winslow territory.
Winslow’s Dallas Jones intercepted a pass and returned it nearly 50 yards into Page territory. The Bulldogs didn’t score on this possession as an apparent score by C.J. Chacon was negated by a holding penalty. Darrien “Peanut” Brown eventually scored on a 30-yard run with less than a minute left in the first quarter. Nick Marquez booted the conversion for a 9-0 Bulldogs lead.
The Bulldogs recovered a Page fumble at the Sand Devil 12 yard line, and Chacon scored on a two yard run. Rey Chavez-Velez passed to Akkeem Foster for the two-point conversion and a 17-0 Winslow lead early in the second quarter.
Page drove to the Winslow one yard line, but the Bulldogs defense came up with a brilliant goal line stand and took the ball on downs in the shadow of the goal post.
The Bulldogs drove and scored on a 19-yard pass from Chavez-Velez to Foster. Marquez converted to increase the Winslow lead to 24-0 with just under four minutes left in the half. The Bulldogs drove and scored again on a 33-yard pass from Chavez-Velez to Chacon. Marquez converted for a 31-0 lead with less than half a minute left in the half.
An apparent Winslow touchdown run by Chavez-Velez was negated by a penalty with just over four minutes left in the third quarter, but he eventually passed 27 yards to Brown for another score. The conversion by Marquez increased the lead to 38-0. That was the score going into the final quarter.
Winslow threatened early in the fourth quarter, but a Bulldog pass was intercepted in the end zone. Bulldog William Parsons then recovered a lateral in the Page end zone for a touchdown. The conversion kick missed, but the lead increased to 44-0, enough to have a running clock for the rest of the game unless Page closed the gap.
Page scored on a two-yard run by Andrew Runyan. Dana Smith booted the conversion and cut the Winslow lead to a still commanding 44-7.
Jalen Hayes ran 56 yards for a Winslow touchdown, then ran for the two-point conversion and a 52-7 lead with 4:35 left to play.
Runyan scored for Page for the second time in the game on an eight-yard run. Smith converted to cut the Winslow lead to 52-14 with just over a minute left to play. Winslow ran the clock out and walked off with an impressive victory.
The No. 8 Bulldogs will host No. 9 Parker in the first round of the Division IV playoffs at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8.
Page also made it to the playoffs, but as the No. 16 seed, thus earning the dubious honor of traveling to meet No. 1 Seton Catholic in Chandler for a first round game, also at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
