Fumbles doom Bulldogs in loss to KP

It all started so well last Friday as the CHS Bulldogs stunned King Philip with a four-play, 69-yard touchdown drive on the opening series of the game. But it quickly dissolved as the Warriors scored the next 37 points, including 31 in the first half to pull away with a 37-13 victory.

The game was played at the newly refurbished KP field in cold and blustery conditions. It was Senior Night for the Warriors, who came into the game at 7-1, with their only loss coming against Mansfield by a single point.

The win by KP keeps their Super Bowl hopes intact as they are now tied with North Attleboro and Mansfield for the Kelly-Rex Division lead. Meanwhile, Oliver Ames’ 24-14 win over Stoughton Friday night put the Tigers in a three-way tie with Stoughton and Sharon in the Davenport Division. Thus, the annual Thanksgiving Day game between Canton and Stoughton will have playoff implications.

Canton’s loss to the Warriors can be summed up by the numbers of KP’s star running back, senior Charles Ruffin, who tallied 285 yards on the ground and scored four touchdowns of 18, 61, 59, and 75 yards. Ruffin leads the league in scoring, having run for over 20 touchdowns.

Canton was also hampered by four fumbles and the loss of star running back Dexter Green to an upper body injury in the second quarter. Green is expected to play in the Stoughton game.

Without Green on Friday, however, the Canton offense was limited as the Bulldogs tried very few passes. Quarterback Anthony Bires, who also suffered a slight injury, was Canton’s leading rusher with 81 yards. His best run was a 51-yard scamper in the first series of the game, which set up a six-yard touchdown run by Green.

The key series of the game came in the second quarter with Canton trailing 12-6. The Bulldogs were driving into Warrior territory, and a run by Shane Nordgren gave them a first down at the Warrior 38-yard line. But a Canton fumble gave the ball back to the Warriors, and on the next play, Ruffin scored on a long run to give KP an 18-6 lead with 5:25 left in the first half. The Warriors would score twice before the half, including a 58-yard fumble return by linebacker Nate Malone.

Canton added its second score very late in the game as both teams sent in their second units. Quarterback Josh Matt led the team on a 59-yard drive after the Bulldogs recovered a KP fumble. Runs by Matt, Nordgren, and sophomore Matt Bagley set up the Bulldogs at the KP 15-yard line. Bagley scored his first career touchdown on a 15-yard sweep.

After the game, head coach Dave Bohane said the Bulldogs started well, but lost the game by giving up too many fumbles. “We made it easy for them,” he said. “I don’t know if we could beat a team like KP, but we could have made it more competitive. I will say, though, we continued to play hard in the second half despite the score.”

Defensively, Jakiel Moses-Harris led the team with six tackles. Elias Camacho, Nordgren, and Justin Saccone also chipped in with three tackles each.

The Bulldogs will now have nearly two weeks to prepare for their season finale against Stoughton, which will be played at home on Thanksgiving Day at 10 a.m.

In other football news, the third annual Pub Night will be held this Friday, November 18, at the Turnpike Café. The event will include food, beverages and a 50-50 raffle, with proceeds going to the privately funded middle school football program.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Nov 16 2011. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.