Bulldogs open district play with big win over Moody
The Thorndale Bulldogs (3-1, 1-0) opened up District 12-2A Division I play in style with a 44-16 win over the Moody Bearcats Friday at Bulldog Stadium. It was also the season home opener for the varsity squad.
The Bulldogs jumped out early, scoring on their first play from scrimmage. Branson McCoy broke loose for a 69 yard touchdown run. Cayden Nicholson found Cain Brymer in the end zone to complete the conversion pass, putting Thorndale up 8-0 with 8:14 left in the opening quarter.
The Bulldog defense was key in shutting out Moody in the first half, with Thorndale picking off three Bearcat passes on the night.
In the second quarter, the Bulldogs found the end zone twice. The first was at 9:15 left in the quarter when Stutts found Nicholson in the corner of the end zone for a 13-yard score. Stutts found McCoy for the ensuing conversion pass.
The other score was an eight-yard run by Cain Brymer and a point after kick by Raymond Avalos. That left the Bulldogs up 24-0 with 5:21 left in the first half.
The third quarter saw Thorndale score twice more, the first a Mason Lindig 21-yard scoring run with 9:46 left in the frame. Nicholson found Brymer for the conversion pass.
Brymer punched the ball in from four yards out with 5:46 left in the quarter, giving the Bulldogs a 38-0 advantage.
Moody finally got on the board at the beginning of the fourth quarter on a two-yard run by Trent Curry. Bearcat quarterback Ryder Hohhertz ran in the conversion play to cut the Thorndale lead to 38-7.
The Bulldogs put up one more score with9:15 left in the game. Stutts connected for a 50-yard touchdown reception and Avalos made the PAT kick.
The Bearcats closed out the scoring with 2:40 left in the fourth on a seven-yard touchdown run by Gavin Green. Hohhertz’s conversion run made it a 44-16 game.
Thorndale put up 404 yards of total offense, 221 rushing and 183 passing.
Moody garnered 242 yards of offense, 182 on the ground and 60 in the air.
McCoy’s 69 yard touchdown run made him the Bulldogs’ to rusher on the night. Lindig had 62 yards on nine carries and Brymer 35 on six totes.
Nicholson carried the ball five times for 18 yards and Stutts had six carries for 13 yards. Aiden McRae ran the ball four times for 10 yards and JD Alcalar touched the ball three times for nine yards. Stryker Leschber added a five-yard carry.
Stutts completed 10 of his 11 pass attempts for 183 yards. Leschber had three receptions for 92 yards and Nicholson four for 41. McCoy caught two passes for 40 yards and Alcalar hauled in a 10-yard reception.
Hohhertz was the top Bearcat rusher with 102 yards on 26 carries. He also completed five of his 14 pass attempts for 60 yards.
Jayden Fletcher was Moody’s top receiver with two catches for 33 yards.
The Bulldog defense was led by Hayden Kylberg who was in on 28 tackles in the game. JD Alcalar was in on 11 stops and Miguel Reyes made 10 tackles.
Brenton White made eight tackles and Mason Lindig was in on seven stops. Stryker Leschber had six tackles, two quarterback pressures and a pass deflection. Cain Brymer and Chance Betak had five stops apiece, with Brymer adding two interceptions and Betak two pass deflections.
Jake Ivy and Riggs Schneider were in on four tackles each, while Cayden Nicholson made three stops. Samari Ware, Caleb Yount and Devin Muston each made three tackles. Raymond Avalos, Hunter Thigpen, Dawson Gilbreath, Tyler Turman and Branson McCoy all were in on one tackle each. Thigpen also snagged an interception.
Thorndale head coach John Kovar was happy with his first home field win at the helm, but knows that district play is tough each week.
“We played pretty well. We hope that we keep getting better each week,” Coach Kovar said. “This week we will have a tough one in Holland.”
The Bulldogs will travel to play the Hornets on Friday; kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.