Peewee Bulldogs win big on turf, square record at 3-3

BY JOHN DECOSTE

jdecoste@kentvilleadvertiser.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

After a slow start to the season, the Valley peewee Bulldogs are clicking on all cylinders.

The Bulldogs squared their season record at 3-3 with their third straight win, a resounding 48-0 victory over the Windsor Warlords Wednesday ‘under the lights’ on the artificial turf at Acadia’s Raymond Field.

A bantam game also originally scheduled for Wednesday was cancelled when the Windsor bantam team withdrew from the league earlier this season.

The Bulldogs, in the words of head coach Steve Melanson, “played a great game on both sides of the ball.” Windsor was able to move the football at times, particularly on the ground, but drive after drive was stopped by the Valley defense.

“The kids have learned how to tackle as a group,” Melanson said Thursday. “Safety in numbers, and everybody around the ball. That’s what (he and assistant coaches Scott Nicholson, Pat McDonald and Trent Simmonds) have been trying to teach them.”

Offensively, the Bulldogs, led by quarterback Kyle McMullin and running back Cam Davidson, piled up the yardage, building a 16-0 halftime lead and cruising to the win.

Davidson, who is one of the smallest players on the team but plays much bigger, had good success following the blocking of his offensive line, and ended up gaining significant yardage and scoring a pair of touchdowns.

“He’s not the fastest of runners, but he’s one of the best I’ve seen for his age at reading the defense and following his blocking,” Melanson said.

Turnaround is no coincidence

He said it’s no coincidence the Bulldogs’ turnaround from an 0-3 start has coincided with Davidson becoming more of a factor in the offense, combined with McMullin’s increasing confidence at the quarterback position. McMullin unofficially had over 200 yards passing in the win Wednesday.

Rory Graham and Zach Guthro also had rushing touchdowns, McMullin completed a scoring pass to Gareth Nicholson and Brandon Whitman had a touchdown on a punt return. Graham kicked all six converts to finish with 16 points.

Melanson said, “it’s quite an experience to play on that field under the lights,” for the players and the coaches. “I’m glad we were able to win so we can say we’ve won on that field.”

The Bulldogs stood at 3-3 with two regular season games remaining: a rematch with Windsor Monday in Canning and a meeting with Halifax Raiders Oct. 19, also in Canning.

“We’re hoping to finish at 5-3,” Melanson said, adding, “that should put us in the mix for a Tier 1 playoff spot. The only trouble is the other two teams in the running have already beaten us. All we can do is play it out and see where we end up.”

The other option is qualifying for the Tier 2 playoffs (made up of teams five through eight in the standings), which “would likely mean we would get to host a playoff game.”