Week 1 | Hiawatha vs Aquin
Kirkland -
The Aquin Bulldogs enter the 2018 season with a lot of unfamiliar faces, a new coach, and they are coming off of back to back quarterfinal appearances. They entered tonight's matchup with a familiar foe, the Hiawatha Hawks in non-conference action. With all the new talent and coaches, the Bulldogs feel very confident with the season ahead, and tonight they came out with something to prove to the area; that the Bulldogs are still here.
Facing Hiawatha would be no small task, as they return quite a few players off last year's team and are ready to find the playoffs themselves. The Hawks would hit pay dirt first, as QB Ty Kilcullen found Kyle Thompson on a 9 yard TD connection to give them an early 6-0 lead after the 1st quarter.
The 2nd quarter would belong to the Bulldogs, as Will Gustafson would find Cian Curry on a 10 yard TD pass to give the Dawgs the lead 7-6. Later in the quarter, Gustafson would take matters into his own hands, as he dashed for 46 yards and a score. The extra point attempt was no good as Aquin extended their lead to 13-7 that would hold up to halftime.
The 3rd quarter found the Hawks moving the ball again, as they drove deep into Bulldog territory. Getting the ball down to the 1 yard line, Kilcullen would call a keeper for the score. The 2 point try was good as Hiawatha regained the lead 14-13 with 2:27 remaining in the 3rd quarter.
In the 4th quarter, Aquin would regain control as they went on a drive setting themselves deep in the Hawks end of the field. From a yard out Gustafson called his own number and punched it in. The 2 point try was good, as it lifted Aquin to a 21-14 lead with just over 6 minutes remaining in the game. The Bulldogs would hold on that lead to score their first win under new head coach Broc Kundert.
The Bulldogs were led offensively by Will Gustafson, who was 11-19 passing for 176 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT, and also added 20 carries for 179 yards and another 2 TD's. Cian Curry would finish the night with 4 receptions for 58 yards and 1 TD. Patrick Seas added 2 receptions for 76 yards, while Ty Stykel had 4 receptions for 35 yards. Ethan Yount pitched in with 26 yards rushing on 14 carries. Leading the Bulldogs defensively was Graysen DeMichele with 13 tackles, while Gustafson had 9 tackles and 1 INT, and Andrew Bowman had 7 tackles.
Up Next:
Aquin (1-0) @ Warren (0-1)