Bulldogs dominate Lincoln College Prep in first playoff round 32-0
Oct. 27—CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Sophomore running back Marcus Lopez-Durman led all Carl Junction runners with 125 yards in 14 carries to lead the Bulldog ground game to a dominating 32-0 opening-round district playoff win over the Lincoln College Prep Blue Tigers.
One of his longer runs, a 28-yarder late in the fourth quarter, was a demonstration of physical football that fired up his team and the CJ fans when he dragged three or four Blue Tiger players for at least 15 of those 28 yards.
"Marcus is different; he's got a different burst," Carl Junction head coach Todd Hafner said. "Johnny (Starks) is kind of our hammer, Dexter (Merrell) is running the show, and Tony (Stewart) did a great job and made some nice runs on the edge tonight, but Marcus, once he gets through and finds a crease, he's got a different gear. There at the end of the game when they were starting to get a little bit tired, he found that extra gear and really did a great job of getting us down close to the goal line."
That play on first down and 15 yards after a off-sides penalty on the Bulldogs was key to allowing Carl Junction to run out the clock and seal the win.
The Bulldogs relied almost exclusively on its running game, gaining 291 yards on the ground and 16 yards on three of six passing by senior quarterback Dexter Merrell.
Merrell was also the second leading rusher for the Bulldogs with 19 rushes for 97 yards while Junior Tony Stewart rushed six times for 50 yards.
The Bulldogs defense also held Lincoln Prep to 147 total yards on the night.
Carl Junction's defense also forced four turnovers from the Blue Tigers, including 59-yard, pick-six interception in the second quarter that put the Bulldogs up 22-0 at halftime.
The Bulldog defense made its presence known when Lincoln College Prep threatened in the first quarter. On first and 10 from Carl Junction's 29, Blue Tigers senior quarterback Aaron Rimson VI threw a long pass to junior Davyne Jones that looked like it could end in the end zone, but a CJ player hammered him out of bounds at the Bulldogs' 2-yard line.
The next plays were a loss of 1, a loss of 2, a loss of 5 and a flag for delay of game. Then on fourth and goal from Carl Junction's 15, Rimson threw an interception that set the Bulldogs up on their own 25 and led to a 38-yard field goal by junior kicker Gavin Cowger.
Carl Junction advances to play Nov. 3 at Harrisonville.
