The midget Cowichan Bulldogs got the fall football season off to a terrific start on Sunday, but head coach Mike Williams acknowledges there is still work to do.
“As expected, it was a little bit sloppy in the beginning, being the first game,” the coach said following his team’s 23-1 road win over the Victoria Spartans. “I liked how we didn’t lose our composure when things didn’t go our way in the first quarter.”
Quarterback Carson Maertz had a rushing touchdown and Damian McCuaig-Jones had two rushing majors, including one for around 80 yards. Dakota Cullum slotted conversions on all three touchdowns and kicked a pair of single points.
Players of the Game were Maertz and defensive end David Fry who had two sacks and a pair of tackles for losses.
The Bulldogs had to deal with a couple of injuries and absences on defence, but moving players around didn’t end up costing them any points.
“We gave up a lot of yards rushing,” Williams said. “It was a bend-but-don’t-break defence.”
The Bulldogs have a few things to clean up before their next game, but a bye this coming weekend will give them some extra time to address that.
After a couple of seasons playing nine-man football, the midget Bulldogs are playing the 12-man game again this year. The roster is at 33 this fall, with nine players who are either new or who took time out of football.
There are four other teams in the Vancouver Mainland Football League 12-man division, and with just nine games over a 12-week season, the Bulldogs have a short time to sort things out.
“We’ve got to get in midseason form soon.”
The Bulldogs will play their home opener at McAdam Park against North Surrey on Sept. 16.