It was a tough night for the Mullan Tigers as they fell to the Kendrick Tigers 52-8 on Mullan’s homecoming.

Kendrick, one of the top 1A division II teams in the state looked the part as they dissected the Tigers, on both sides of the ball.

Kendrick recovered an onside kick on the opening kickoff and never looked back.

Mullan showed several signs of defensive prowess, but for each big play they would make, they would then give up a big gain.

The Tiger offense seemed to work in this cycle as well, with senior quarterback Gryphon Todd making difficult throws to Skye Gallaway and Sheldon and Riley Trogden, but then the offense would stall or turn the ball over and Kendrick would go right back on the offensive.

Coach Stetson Spooner saw this game as a proving grounds of sorts for his team, and while he was bummed by the outcome, he saw a few things that he thought were positives.

“We improved in some areas but seemed very flat,” Spooner said. “We beat ourselves and should’ve competed much better. Sophomore Skye Gallaway and freshman Riley Trogden seem to keep making big plays but our inexperience seems to kill our drives at times.”

Kendrick held a 52-0 halftime lead, but the Mullan defense played a lot better in the second half, holding Kendrick scoreless, while scoring their lone touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 54-yard touchdown pass from Todd to Gallaway.

Spooner did credit his opposition for living up to their hype, but acknowledged that Mullan is definitely a better team than what they showed on Friday.

“All credit goes to Kendrick for playing well enough to beat anyone today,” Spooner said. “We just didn’t do ourselves any favors.”

Mullan (0-3) will travel to Plummer next week for a matchup with Lakeside.