Sports

Bulldog Football Teams Taste Success in the Playoffs

Teams battle it out for their respective championships.

Article by Rich Dellaripa

After compiling a 5-2 regular season record, the BBYC D Squad Bulldogs faced the Little Falls Hornets at Butler's Memorial Field. Led by the rushing attack of Wyatt Frawley (102 yards, three touchdowns) and Robert Battipede (40 yards), the Bulldogs scored 20 points against a Hornets defense that had averaged only eight points per game in the regular season.

On defense, the Bulldogs held the Hornets to seven points, thanks to Frawley (12 tackles, three for a loss), PJ Coffey (five tackles), PJ Janiec (four tackles, one for a loss), Rober Ekins and Battipede (three tackles each). This victory put the team in the UCJFL Super Bowl, which neither the Butler nor the Bloomingdale side of the program had been to at the D squad level in more than 10 years.

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Meeting in Lincoln Park against an undefeated Woodland Park D Squad Panthers team, the BBYC Bulldogs once again saw Wyatt Frawley pounding out the yards (115 yards) along with Timothy Connolly (35 yards, one touchdown), including a long run by Frawley at the end of the first half that had him taken out of bounds at the five-yard line. 

The Bulldogs had a number of players contribute on defense, including Frawley (10 tackles), Logan Sykes (six tackles), Robert Battipede (three tackles, one for a loss and an extra point conversion stopped), Timothy Connolly (three tackles, including one forcing a turnover on downs), P.J. Janiec, Kyle Peterson and Robert Ekins (each with three tackles). But despite the effort, the Panthers defeated the Bulldogs 26-7.

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B Squad goes to Big Game

The Bulldog B squad earned a berth in the playoffs with a 4-3 record, pitting them against a 6-1 Woodland Park Panthers squad at home in Woodland Park.

Up against a Panthers team that had only given up four scores all season, the Bulldogs rushing attack was held mainly in check, with Joey Walsh rushing for 22 yards and Jake Luciani rushing for 10 yards.

Quarterback Evan Smith had more success in the air, going four for nine for 49 yards, with Ryan Brady (three catches for 46 yards) being his favorite target.

But the Bulldog defense was being as effective as the Panthers', with Walsh, Luciani, Anthony Colavito, Joey Conti, Christopher Dino and Justice Struble all having five or more tackles on the night.

In the end, it was a Panthers drive aided by a personal foul call and a long pass that was almost picked off that gave them the only points on the night and a 6-0 victory. 

A Squad Advances to Super Bowl

Also with a 5-2 record, the BBYC A Squad hosted the Lincoln Park Raiders who they had narrowly defeated the previous week. Taking hand offs from quarterback Declan Minogue (three for six, 28 yards) were Patrick Brady (160 yards, three TDs) and Joseph Bastante (102 yards, one touchdown).

On defense, the Bulldogs were lead by Joshua Webb (eight tackles, three for a loss), Elias Tadros (six tackles) and Bastante (four tackles, one for a loss and two passes broken up).

All this combined for a 34-20 win over the Raiders, and a second consecutive A Squad Super Bowl appearance.

The A Squad would face a Woodland Park Panthers team on a chilly night in Lincoln Park. 

The Panthers, who had given up only a single score all year, kept the Bulldogs offense mostly in check, holding Joseph Bastante to 96 yards and one touchdown and Patrick Brady to 30 yards. Quarterback Declan Minogue had some success in the air against the Panthers, going four for five for 57 yards and a touchdown.

The Bulldog defense, led by Jake Grecco (seven tackles), Elias Tadros (four tackles) and Joshua Webb (four tackles), kept the Panther's offense similiarly bottle up, also thanks to the excellent punting by Minogue.

The result was a tense battle that wound up being decided by special teams, as the Panthers won 13-12.


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