Buzz building for Bulldogs
Magnolia is 2-0 for the first time in six years. After slipping past Kingwood Park in their opener, the Bulldogs and QB Jacob Frazier opened eyes last week with a 41-26 win over stateranked C.E. King.
Magnolia is 2-0 for the first time in six years.
After slipping past Kingwood Park in their opener, the Bulldogs opened eyes last week with a 41-26 win over stateranked C.E. King.
“It’s huge,” coach Sterling Doty said about the start.
“We’ve created some buzz and excitement in the community. We’ve been working hard this last year to prepare for our opportunities, so it’s good to take advantage of those.
“Now we’re just looking to be 1-0 this week against Willis.”
Doty was quick to credit his defensive line for much of their early success.
The Bulldogs’ front seven supplied seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss in the victory over King.
“We’ve done a good job on the defensive side of the football of getting to the quarterback,” Doty said.
Nose guard Spencer Nigh, the returning District 19-5A defensive MVP, is off to another great start, and defensive end Noah Blomberg already has four sacks after recording 2½ last week against King.
Blomberg played outside linebacker last season but has taken well to the switch.
“We put his hand on the ground to use his speed and quickness to get a pass rush, and it’s really worked out for him,” Doty said.
The Bulldogs still are surrendering 28.5 points per game through two games.
But they settled down in the opener after allowing 16 points in the first 13 minutes, only giving up seven after halftime, and they held running back Trayveon Williams to 60 yards and no touchdowns last week.
Williams, a TCU pledge, had more than 200 total yards and three TDs in King’s 59-3 win last season.
“To hold him to 60 yards, and that offense to a total of 200 yards, is a tremendous effort,” Doty said.
“If you take away the blocked PAT for two points, and the punt return and kickoff return (for touchdowns), realistically we had a tremendous night on defense against King, which has one of the best offenses in the region.”
Magnolia’s offense is plenty productive so far, averaging 37.5 points and 512.5 yards through two weeks.
With help from an offensive line that features right guard Cory Stang and center Alex Hancock, who recently was named a team captain, RB Anthony Johnson has 382 yards and two TDs on 38 carries.
Johnson rushed for 270 yards against King.
“Any time you can rush for right around 450 yards (as a team) you know you’re imposing your will,” Doty said.
Johnson is hitting the holes his offensive line is supplying and he’s staying productive after contact, Doty said.
“His vision and how tough he’s running (are impressive),” he said. “He’s an extremely physical back. He’s got good speed, but people are going to start shying away and not wanting to tackle him. He’s doing a good job of protecting the football and keeping his pads over his feet and running through defenders.” Sophomore wideouts Michael Woods and Reese Mason are doing their part.
The two first-year varsity players are the leading receivers for returning quarterback Jacob Frazier.
Doty called last week’s win his biggest so far and one of the biggest for the program, which has had only four playoff teams in 40 years.
“That’s a huge win for us,” he said. “They were ranked No. 4 in the region and Dave Campbell’s had them up in the top 20, so we feel really good about playing well last week and where we’re at.”
Willis is next up this week in the Bulldogs’ final game before opening district play Sept. 25 against Stratford.
“They’ve got a real aggressive defense and do a great job with their schemes,” Doty said. “They really put a lot of pressure on offenses and offensive lines in particular, so we’re going to have to be sound in what we do.”