With a roster that was short even for nine-man football, the midget Cowichan Bulldogs opened the fall season with a decisive 53-6 road win over the Comox Raiders last Sunday.
A number of players were absent, enjoying the last long weekend of the summer elsewhere, but the Bulldogs didn’t seem disadvantaged either way. Head coach Mike Williams anticipates being at full strength going forward.
“Once school is back in, we should be able to pull out a roster of 24 or 25,” he said.
Damian McCuaig-Jones made his glorious return to the Bulldogs after a couple of years playing in Victoria, recording three touchdowns and 115 yards on five rushes, and added a 25-yard reception, and Williams also commended the blocking of the Cowichan offensive line.
“Offensively, we did really well,” the coach said. “We still had some first-game mistakes that we can fix up.”
The Bulldogs defence had three interceptions as Evan Kwasny, Killion VennRyan and Dakota Cullum picked off Comox passes. Linemen Dylan Taylor and Nicholas Young also had strong outings as the Cowichan defence was nearly unbeatable.
“The defensive line really impressed me,” Williams said. “They executed all day and put steady pressure on Comox.”
Despite the score, Williams did see a lot from the Raiders that he liked.
“Comox has a lot of big kids, but a lot of first-year football players,” he pointed out. “They have a lot of potential coming down the road.”
The midget Bulldogs make their home debut at McAdam Park this Sunday at 2:30 p.m. against Pemberton. That game follows the season openers for the peewee Bulldogs at 10 a.m. and junior bantams at noon, with both younger teams hosting the Southside Dawgs.