Bulldogs maul Vikings 46-0

CHARLO – A big third quarter and an opportunistic defense propelled the Mission Bulldogs to a 46-0 victory over conference and cross county rivals Charlo Vikings on Friday night.

In a back-and-forth first half, the hosting Vikings limited the Bulldogs to just two touchdowns as both teams headed into the locker room at halftime with the Bulldogs up 16-0.

“The first half was a defensive battle against Charlo,” said Bulldogs head coach Carson Oakland. “We had some mistakes and turned the football over that stopped some of our offensive drives.”

A Bryce Umphrey 76-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half ignited a stagnant Bulldogs’ offense that went on to score 22 unanswered second half points in the first shutout win of the season for Mission.

On the night, the stingy Bulldog defense held the Vikings’ offense to only 141 total yards and intercepted the quarterback five times according to Viking team stats posted on online stats service Hudl.

Canyon Sargent led the defense with a team-high 14 tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a fourth quarter pick six.

“Our defense played great, and those guys competed from the start to the end,” explained coach Oakland. “I am so proud of them for how they stuck with the game plan, cleaned some things up in the second half and didn't lose focus.”

On Friday night, the undefeated Bulldogs look to move to 7-0 on the season against the hosting 2-3 Darby Tigers.

“This season has been a grind,” noted Oakland. “Our kids have worked hard to get to the point we are at. We want to go 1-0 every week and that starts on Monday at practice. They know the job isn't done and we must keep on working.”