OLDS — The Bantam Bulldogs are in the league finals.
They’ll take on Drumheller in Drumheller on Saturday, Nov. 4.
The ‘Dogs punched their ticket to the finals with an emphatic 58-24 first-round win over the Strathmore Badgers Oct. 28 at Normie Kwong Park in Olds.
The score is rather misleading, though.
The first half – especially the first quarter – was a tight seesaw battle, with each team marching down the field to score TDs.
At half-time, the Bulldogs led 30-24, but they poured it on in the second half to cement the win.
The wind and cold were big factors in the game.
"The wind was gusty as times, which affected the passing game for both teams. We did not alter our attack too much because of it though,” Bulldogs head coach Matthew Sutherland wrote in an email.
“Some passes in the second half got hung up and luckily we were able to intercept one of those pass attempts from Strathmore.
"There were a couple of fumbles during the game, and the cold weather and snow definitely played a part in that. Ball security was something we talked about a lot and worked on over the week leading up to the game.”
Sutherland is proud of the way the Bulldogs played their game, despite some trying conditions.
“We stuck to our game plan, even when we got behind early, and played our game. We worked hard to control the pace of the game and keep the pressure on Strathmore.
“At this point in the season the mental part of the game becomes very important. The players did an amazing job of keeping their heads in the game and focusing on what we needed to do.”
Sutherland says as they prepare for Drumheller, the Bulldogs have to get some points on the board right away.
“We need to work on not getting behind out of the gate, to get a quick start of our own and make sure we set the pace from the start of the game."
