Bulldogs Defeat the Jackson Polar Bears For the First Time Since 2013. (Off The Leash | 9/10/22)
Bulldogs Score 15 Points in the 2nd Half and Pull Off a 29-28 Victory Over Jackson.
Coming off of a loss against Tallmadge High School in Week 3, the Bulldogs were looking to get their season back on track with a win against the Polar Bears of Jackson High School. That’s exactly what they did. Green QB Robby Klockner (#19) led the way, WR Zach Baglia and WR Antonio Martin combined for 250+ receiving yards, and AJ Fortunato snagged 14 solo tackles to control Jackson’s offense. Green started slowly and trailed Jackson until a game-tying touchdown before the end of the 1st half. Jackson took a 7 point lead into the fourth quarter, but Green responded with a touchdown late in the fourth followed by a gutsy 2 point conversion to win. Squeaking out the victory, the Bulldogs showed great perseverance holding Jackson to no points in the 4th quarter. This performance by the Green Bulldogs, their first win against the Polar Bears since 2013, gives fans confidence that Green will continue their winning ways for the rest of the season.
Takeaways:
Klockner still performs well under pressure.
Green’s QB Robby Klockner (#19) showed spectators that he is indeed one of the top Ohio High School quarterbacks, throwing for exactly 350 yards and a 64% completion rate. Despite throwing an interception, pressure doesn’t really get to Klockner. He is able to lead the team with vision in those tough situations and he did the same tonight, running in the touchdown and dropping an almost perfect pass to WR Zach Baglia (#13) for the winning 2 point conversion. In beating Jackson, it looks like he’s out to prove he can lead the Bulldogs to a Federal League championship.
Bulldogs’ Defense Gets Better Every Game
After a heartbreaking loss against Tallmadge last week, Green’s defense proved that they were able to make those important stops. Doing just that with 2 crucial goal-line stands in the 4th quarter, forcing the Polar Bears to punt each time. Green LB AJ Fortunato (#15) picked up 14 tackles against the Jackson offense, stopping many rushes that would cause detrimental effects to the game without him. Though having a difficult time stopping Jackson’s run game, the defense pulled it together in the end to provide the Offense with a chance to win the game.
Other Notable Notes
WR Samino Mason (#11) had 5 receptions for 31 yards and 1 TD.
Jackson QB Joseph Lattarulo went 4 for 11 and threw 0 TDs. Jackson did however focus on a heavy run offense, and their RB Jason Davide (#24) ran for 222 yards and 3 TDs.
The Green Bulldogs will take on the McKinley Bulldogs next week at home and hope to start off their Homecoming weekend on a good note. McKinley will go into the game next week 0-4 and are hungry for a victory.