GAME BLOG: Battlefield (4-0) at Hylton (3-0)
By DAVE UTNIK
Good evening and welcome to the special Under the Lights Friday night battle of the unbeatens edition of the Game Time Blog.
TONIGHT’S GAME: Battlefield (4-0) at Hylton (3-0)
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m.
PREVIEW: Greetings from Hylton High School’s jam-packed football stadium, where the Cardinal District’s top team is ready to take on the defending Northwest Region, Division 6 champions. The Bulldogs are coming off a shutout victory over Osbourn Park, while the visiting Bobcats defeated Gar-Field 31-0.
DOMINATING DOMINIQUE Hylton quarterback Dominique Miller has been outstanding in the season’s early going. He threw for 145 yards last week and also came up with an interception on defense.
LIKE THE ENERGIZER BUNNY: The Bobcats just keep winning and winning and winning. With last week’s rout of Gar-Field, Battlefield has won 33 consecutive regular season games. The Bobcats defense held Gar-Field to 32 yards in total offense.
LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED: The Hylton Bulldogs took the opening kick and did absolutely nothing with it. That had more to do with the Battlefield defense than anything else. Three plays were followed by a nine-yard punt, giving the visiting Bobcats the ball at the Bulldogs’ 30 yard line.
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE SHORT FIELD: Battlefield moved quickly into the red zone and then converted a one-yard quarterback sneak on first down to put the Bobcats ahead 7-0, 5:12 left in the first quarter.
SLEEPING DAWGS HAVE WAKENED: The Bulldogs have shifted into high gear with Miller leading a charge into Battlefield territory. Two long runs and a pair of passes over the middle has Hylton at the Bobcats 35-yard line, where the Bulldogs will go for it on 4th down.
1ST DOWN: The 4th and short gamble paid off for Hylton, which is continuing its march toward a tying score.
ANOTHER 4th DOWN: The Bulldogs are going for it again on 4th down, only this time it;s 4th and 25 from the 30 yard line. Miller’s pass into the end zone fell incomplete. Battlefield takes over on downs to start the second quarter.
BO-BO ON THE GO: Bobo Beathard is almost unstoppable on this drive. He’s been the main ball carrier on a long drive that has the Bobcats with a 1st and goal. Of course, thanks to consecutive penalties, the ball is at the 21 yard line.
4TH TIME’S THE CHARM: Battlefield covered 20 yards on three plays to get the ball to the 1 yard line and then Nagee Jackson jogged in on 4th down to put Battlefield ahead 14-0.
HERE COME THE DAWGS: Dominique Miller is doing his best to keep the Bulldogs in this game. Hylton has a 1st down at the 24 with 4:27 remaining in the first half.
SPREADING THE LOVE: Hylton’s spread offense is a thing of beauty with Dominique Miller at quarterback. The Bulldogs are athletic and fast in the backfield and he’s got a terrific arm, which makes covering wideouts a difficult task. It will take quite an effort for Battlefield to shut this team out.
UP TO THE CHALLENGE: The Bobcats defense may be that good. They just stopped another 4th down conversion attempt at the 20 yard line. The shutout remains in tact.
HALFTIME: BATTLEFIELD 14, HYLTON 0
LEADERS: Here are the offensive leaders at halftime for each team:
Rushing—Battlefield: Andrew Smith 3-23; Hylton: Dominique Miller 9-40
Passing—Battlefield: Devon Greene 5-7-0, 56 yards; Hylton: Dominique Miller 7-17-0, 68 yards
Receiving—Battlefield: Turner Meeks 2-29; Hylton: Jaleel Dukes 2-35.
HE’S MORE THAN A QB: Dominique Miller is arguably the second-best player (and second-best Dominique) in the county. In addition to leading the Hylton offense, he is a pretty good defensive back. His third quarter interception at the 20 yard line just ended a Battlefield scoring drive and now the Bulldogs are across midfield in a quest for an elusive TD.
AND THERE IT IS: The play-action bootleg around right tackle has put Hylton on the board and back in the game. Miller’s 4-yard run capped a long drive and it’s now Battlefield 14, Hylton 7. 2:13 left in the third quarter. Can you say “momentum shift?“
HYL-TON: Did I mention that Dominique Miller also returns punts? This kid can do everything. He just returned a booming kick back to the 43 yard line to set up a potential game-tying drive. 11 minutes to play.
BOB-CATS: Battlefield’s defense came up with another big stop to force a punt. The Bobcats, who need to run some time off the clock, have the ball at their own 15 yard line with 10 minutes to go.
DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?: Hylton’s Tyreese Pinkney just blocked a punt into the end zone, where {who else?) Dominique Miller just fell on the football for a touchdown. The Bulldogs failed to convert the PAT, however, so it’s Battlefield 14, Hylton 13. 9:56 to go.
IS THIS THE GAME-WINNING DRIVE?: Quarterback Devon Greene finally has the Bobcats chewing up yardage and precious minutes off the game clock. Battlefield has moved to the Hylton 32 yard line with 7 minutes left.
THAT’S A FIRST DOWN (WITH EXTRA MUSTARD): Oh wait, wrong school. Battlefield is about to put the wrapping paper on a 5-0 start. A Hylton face mask penalty gave the Bobcats a first down at the 15 yard line.
OH NO BOBO? Bobo Beathard caught a 12-yard touchdown pass that would have put Battlefield ahead 20-13, however he was called for offensive pass interference and Battlefield added an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on top of that. The ball is back at the 42 yard line. That’s a LONG WAY from the end zone on 3rd down. Ouch. With all of the penalties and a penchant for self-destruction, Battlefield might be the worst undefeated team in the state.
ONE MORE CHANCE FOR DOMINIQUE: The Bobcats wound up having to punt so Hylton will have one last chance to put together a game-winning drive. Dominique Miller has 4 minutes to “get er done.“
HYL-TON, PART 2: 41 Miller just completed a 41-yard pass to DeAndre Sangster, who made a diving catch in front of the Hylton sideline. Then he found the wideout again for a 15-yard screen that Sangster carried another 25 yards into the end zone. Miller danced off the field in celebration as the Bulldogs took the lead for the first time, 19-14. The 2-pt conversion failed. Two minutes to go. This game has more drama than CSI Miami.
DOM-IN-IQUE, PART 2: Is there anything this kid can’t do? Dominique Miller just made his second interception of the night, this time at the 20 yard line, to preserve Hylton’s 19-14 come-from-behind victory. The Bulldogs have just snapped Battlefield’s 33-game regular season winning streak. There is bedlam in Dale City. The Dawgs are back, baby.
That is all from the Dawg Pound. Have a great weekend.
Posted by Dave Utnik at 07:00 PM. Filed under:
(0) Comments • Permalink
