LAPEL — Coach Tim Miller knows his Bulldog football team has all the components, but to be a force in the sectional in a little under six weeks, it has to get all the gears in sync.
After a 22-20 loss to the Shenandoah Raiders Sept. 13, the Bulldogs travel to Cardinal Ritter to face another group of Raiders.
At 2-2, Ritter is coming off a 28-0 win against Speedway, and the 3-1 Bulldogs are working to make the adjustments needed to fight this opponent they haven’t seen in a few years.
“We’re getting closer little by little,” Miller said. “Every week we’re correcting things.”
Against Shenandoah, according to Miller, the rivalry has built year upon year, but the Bulldogs have had trouble getting over the regular-season hurdle despite Friday’s standout play by the defense, special teams and rushing game.
Lapel tied the game at 14 on a Josiah Scott 1-yard run, but Shenandoah answered with a 68-yard TD pass and added a 2-point conversion.
In the final minute, the Bulldogs went 65 yards down the field for the score by quarterback Cole Alexander. The Bulldogs needed a 2-point conversion to tie the game, and during that effort a false-start penalty nullified a successful pass from Alexander to Tyler Dollar. On the re-do, Alexander was stopped by the Shenandoah defense, and the Bulldogs ran out of time.
Tanner Mroz, Brock Harper and Drew Darlington all brought down six Raiders on their own. Darlington’s performance landed him among the top 40 tackle leaders in the state this season.
The Bulldog ground game got 161 yards and two touchdowns by Scott. Scott has also cracked the top 50 in rushing yards this season.
Bulldog defenders will be put to the test against Ritter’s passing game. Raider quarterback Jack Henninger has put up 775 yards in four games and thrown seven touchdown passes.
And Ritter is receiver deep. In just two game appearances, Raider Aiden Robinson has caught nine passes for 161 yards and three touchdowns.
“Ritter has a good strong program, and we’ll have to play our best to beat them,” Miller said.
The game begins at 7 p.m. and will be live streamed for subscribers through nfhsnetwork.com.