Bulldogs ready for CIF playoff game Friday
After a bye week, the Ramona Bulldogs will prepare for a game with the Steele Canyon Cougars on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Dawg Pound.
“We hope that we will have a good crowd,” said Coach Damon Baldwin. “A lot of people will be out of town because of the Thanksgiving holiday. I hope that we can take advantage of the home field advantage and have a big and loud crowd like the ones we have had all year.
“Steele Canyon is a big physical team. They line it up and come at you. It will be a very physical contest. They have a great fan base. The Imperial County teams support their teams well and Steele Canyon had almost as many fans at Central Union as the Spartans had.
“It will be a packed house at the Dawg Pound.”
Several junior varsity and one freshman player have been called up to the varsity for the playoffs. Both squads enjoyed winning seasons. The three football teams posted the best record from top to bottom in Ramona history.
The frosh football team ended its season with a 7-0 victory over Oceanside High School. The Bullpups finished the season with a 6-3-1 record overall and were 3-2-1 in the Valley League.
The Bullpups completely dominated the game and were in scoring position when the game ended. The Pups did the classy thing and took a knee in the final seconds when the victory was ensured.
The Pup defense led the way in the victory. Kirk Kaliszewski forced a fumble in Pirate territory and Jacob Gallegos recovered the loose ball. Shane Barnes scored the only touchdown on a 17-yard run. Sebastian Bueno added the PAT and the scoring was done.
Coach Mike Ernst had praise for his offensive linemen. “Conner Guasti, Eric Box, Brandon Barnum, Chris Durham and Luke Papps and fullback Tyler Hunter all had their best blocking game of the season.”
Coach Eddie Brisendine praised his defensive linemen. “Sam Noel Chandelr Vasquez, Jared Godes, Christian Wren and Nathan Cresswell stopped the run and put pressure on the passer the entire game.”
Ernst also had praise for linebackers Steve Rothermel and Colton Houlihan.
The junior varsity dropped their showdown to undefeated Oceanside High School 24-7. The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak. The junior varsity finishes the season with a 7-2-1 record and a 5-1 record in the Valley League. The junior varsity finished in second place in the Valley League.
Nate Lutu scored the only touchdown on a screen pass from Jake Graham.
The game was tied at 7 at half time.
“This defeat in no way mars the fine season that our team has had,” said Coach Bob Schulty. “This group of athletes has exceeded all of our expectations. Every member of this team went 3-5-1 last season (both the junior varsity and frosh had a 3-5-1 record last season). They went from second to last place to second place in the Valley League.
“Going from three wins to seven wins is amazing. It has never been done before.”