Bloom-Carroll quarterback Ryan Burkhardt completed a 47-yard touchdown pass to Jon Meadows with 1:11 left in the game to lead the Bulldogs to a 10-7 win versus Berne Union Friday night.
The Rockets tried to counter with a late score of their own, driving all the way to the Bulldogs 27 yard line, but Nick Adams' pass on the game's final play was intercepted by Bulldogs defender Alex Grover to seal the victory.
Burkhardt finished the game completing 6 of 15 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown, with Meadows ending up with 4 catches for 165 yards.
Early on, however, it seemed the Rockets were able to move the ball at will against the Bulldogs, who had little offense to speak of in the first half of the game.
Rockets fullback T-Jay Queen opened the scoring early, running around the left side, and sprinting 67 yards down the sideline for a touchdown on just the fourth play of the game.
Following a Bulldogs punt, the Rockets again began rolling up yards on the ground, with Colton Speelman rushing for a 35 yard gain to start the second drive.
However, the Bulldogs defense was able to stop the ground assault, and most of the remainder of the first half was a series of punts between the two teams.
"We didn't get 11 hats to the ball," Bulldogs coach Mike Burkhardt said about the Rockets' early gains.
"You've got to attack, and we didn't do that on a few plays."
The Bulldogs only real scoring chance before the break came late in the first quarter, when Burkhardt hit Meadows on a 72 yard pass on a 3rd-and-16 from the Bulldogs own 8 yard line. However, the Rockets defense stopped the Bulldogs after that pass, and Nick Blevins 33-yard field goal attempt was missed.
Both sides came out again playing solid defense in the second half, with the only scoring in the third quarter coming on a Blevins 37-yard field goal to end the period, with the score 7-3 in favor of the Rockets. The fourth quarter was more of the same, with neither side able to break through until Meadows' catch late.
Adams, who came on for injured starting quarterback Ronnie Edwards midway through the fourth quarter, led the Rockets down the field after getting the ball back, completing four of eight passes on the final drive, but Grover stepped in front of a receiver on the game's final play, and his interception ended the Rockets' drive, and the game.
Queen led the Rockets with 156 yards rushing on 16 carries, while Speelman ended the night with 75 yards rushing on 7 carries.
Bulldogs coach Burkhardt was excited by what he saw from his squad.
"We're trying to build a program, from the ground up," Burkhardt said following the game.
"That was a really good team we played tonight."
