Bulldogs still winless after blowout loss to Oliver Ames

A young and inexperienced CHS football team took a step back in its overall development last week as the undefeated and playoff bound Oliver Ames Tigers dominated the winless Bulldogs 41-13 at OA Saturday afternoon.

Senior captain Matt Bagley (Mike Barucci photo)

The Bulldogs lost four fumbles and had a punt blocked, while the Tigers racked up 21 points in the second quarter and added 13 more in the third to build a 34-7 lead.

The Bulldog offense was limited for most of the afternoon and only got going in the fourth quarter when the Tigers sent in their second unit. Highlights for Canton included an exciting 70-yard kickoff return by Derrick Harris, an 18-yard rushing touchdown by sophomore Woanyen Mahn, and interceptions by Tim Gutowski and Jake Ragusa.

Defensively, the Bulldogs had their moments, especially in the first quarter when Canton held the Tigers scoreless. James Bourikas led the team in tackles with eight, followed by Joe Bires with seven. Matt Bagley also had a strong game with five tackles and two sacks, and defensive tackle Wavol Prentice came out strong in the first quarter with four tackles and a sack.

Offensively, the Tigers took away the Canton rushing game, limiting the Bulldogs to 84 yards, with 24 coming from Mahn in the fourth quarter.

“Oliver Ames frustrated us at all levels,” said head coach Dave Bohane, who returned from his Achilles surgery to watch the game from the press box. “They have a very good defensive team. All 11 of their starters are very good players. They have done this to all of our teams in the Davenport Division as they had strong games against Stoughton and Foxboro. They put our defense in bad spots and our offense had no rhythm.”

The Tigers took advantage of the Bulldogs’ turnovers, scoring in different ways, including touchdown passes of six and 35 yards (twice) and rushing touchdowns of four and 41 yards. The Bulldogs had a difficult time containing Matt Berksza, who showed off his quickness on sweeps and short passes.

Surprisingly, OA head coach Jim Artz was unhappy with his offense, claiming that the Tigers did not play their best football. “Canton did a good job taking away our running game,” he said.

Asked to comment on Canton’s overall level of play, Artz said, “They are young, they are learning, and they will get better.”

With the new MIAA playoff scheduling, the Bulldogs now move into a new phase of their season, with upcoming nonleague games against Randolph at home and Coyle Cassidy and Dedham on the road. The Randolph game will be played tomorrow night at 7 p.m. The last game of the year will be the traditional Thanksgiving Day game at home against Stoughton.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Oct 31 2013. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.