The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

RITZVILLE -- The Dayton Bulldogs were shut down by the Ritzville Broncos last Friday night 12-0.

The loss prevented the Bulldogs from advancing to the state tournament finishing with a winning record of 5-4 for the 2011 season.

The Bulldogs took the opening kick off and started their first drive on their own 35-yard line.

Isaiah Lambert took the first handoff but was met at the line and tackled for a loss of two yards.

Two incomplete passes had the Bulldogs deep in their own territory and they lined up for the first of many punts of the night.

The Bulldogs defense stood their ground and kept the Broncos to just five yards of offense on their opening drive and the Broncos returned the punting favor sending the ball back to the dogs.

The Bulldogs began their next drive on their own 18 yard line after an illegal block to the back was called on the return.

They continued to find more trouble when Bronco Jarradd Morley recovered a Bulldog fumble.

The Broncos pushed through the Bulldogs line in two plays and twenty yards to put six of the board with 8:31 left the first quarter.

Hayden Fullerton returned the kickoff 15 yards for the Bulldogs who began their next drive on their own 32 yard line.

Lambert would once again be put down in the back field for a loss of two on 2nd and 10 and the Bulldogs sent it back to the Broncos after just three plays.

The Broncos repeatedly plugged away up the middle on the Bulldogs defense all the way to the Bulldog 15 yard line.

The Bulldogs defense stepped it up and pushed the Broncos back ten yards before taking over on downs.

An off-sides call on the Bulldogs put them in a 2nd and 20 situation on their own 15-yard line.

The Bulldogs ended the quarter with a Colton Bickelhaupt to Wyatt Frame connection for 28 yards that brought the Bulldogs out of the doghouse.

The Bulldogs found themselves beginning the 2nd quarter much like the first, taking turns punting.

With 3:08 left in the half the Bulldogs rallied with a Bickelahupt to Lambert reception for nine yards, a six yard scamper from Fullerton, and personal foul called on the Broncos.

But momentum soon faded and the dogs sent the ball back to the Broncos with a 46 yard Frame punt. Two more punts in two minutes of play would end the first half with the Bulldogs trailing 0-6.

The Broncos took first possession of the ball in the second half beginning their next clock draining drive on their own 23-yard line.

They plugged away up middle on the dogs as they worked their way into Bulldog territory.

Lining up on the dog's 17-yard line on 2nd and two Bronco Chris Stienmetz took it the house up the middle once more with 5:34 remaining in the third.

Fullerton made a stand on the line and pushed back the 2pt. conversion leaving the Bulldogs down 12-0.

The Bulldogs most successful drive of the night began with just under eight minutes left in the game.

From their own 17-yard line Bickelhaupt found Lambert and Fullerton for two short passes and a first down before he connected with Joey Schlacter just shy of a first down.

Lambert pushed over the line of scrimmage for the first down before Bickelahupt found Garett Turner for 24 yards.

Fullerton rushed the ball 18 yards to the Bronco 12-yard line before he was caught in the backfield for a loss of seven and the Broncos recovered the ball on downs.

The Bulldogs had a final opportunity to light the board, but Bickelhaupt was picked off at the Bulldog 40-yard line and there was nothing for the Broncos to do but take victory formation.

"We just couldn't get anything going," said Bulldog head coach Dean Bickelhaupt. "Their line was pretty solid across the board, they shut down our running game."

"We just couldn't generate much offense," said Bickelhaupt. "They were beating us to the punch."

Although this ended the Bulldog's bid for a state tournament berth, the dogs were quite happy with their successful season and look forward to putting the bite on the competition next year.