Milan Kent had three TDs and Beau Pauly two as the Becker Bulldog football team grounded the Flyers, 56-0 on Homecoming night in Becker.
The Bulldogs won their fifth straight game to start the season and tallied their 244th point — averaging nearly 49 points a game — while giving up zero points Friday night — averaging just 10 points on defense a game.
It took just four minutes for the Bulldogs to dent the scoreboard Friday. Foley tried to surprise the home team with an opening onside kick — but Becker’s Grant Steffens wasn’t fooled and he pounced on the loose ball to give the Bulldogs a starting point at midfield.
A 14-yard gain on first down by Kent put the ball at Foley’s 36, then Pauly followed that with a nine yard gain to the 27. The drive was wiped out, however, on first and 10 when QB Andrew Stanger’s pass to the end zone was picked off by a Foley defender. The ball was moved to the 20 on the touchback and Foley began their first drive of the game starting there.
It didn’t last long as a quick three-and-out and punt gave the ball back to Becker at Foley’s 41. On the very next play, Stanger handed the ball to RB Gabe Dertinger and he scampered 41 yards to paydirt and a Becker 6-0 lead.
Kicker Lucas Dertinger converted the extra point and Becker led 7-0 at the 8:40 mark. Dertinger ended up booting eight extra points on the night, a perfect performance.
Becker’s defense stood tall once again and Foley’s QB Kyle Kipka felt immense pressure each time he dropped back to pass. Linemen Casey Vesledahl and Dillon Radunz peeled off the weak blocks and penetrated the backfield all night while LBs Pauly, Kent and Jaylin Hildebrandt swarmed to the ball carrier on every down.
As the first quarter wound down and after a few field position exchanges, Becker got the ball at Foley’s 37 and Stanger and crew went to work.
On first down, the Becker QB hit Clayton Gallus for five yards. On second down, he found Tyler Thorson open for 27 yards. From there, Pauly took over and after a couple runs up the middle, found the end zone on second and goal to put the ‘Dawgs up 14-0.
The second quarter loomed large for the Bulldogs as they tacked on four TDs in the 12 minute period to go up 42-0 at halftime.
The first of the four second quarter TDs came when Pauly scored his second TD from seven yards out. Then Kent took over, scoring twice — once on a five yard carry and another on a 68 yard TD reception. Fobbe closed out the first half hauling in another perfect spiral from Stanger for a 65-yard TD score.
The game was all but over when the teams left the field as the halftime horn sounded.
As part of the Homecoming festivities, the Becker Dazzler dance team paraded their “tiny tots” onto the field to perform a routine they learned in just four days. The crowd loved it as the future Dazzler dancers strutted their stuff and waved their pom-poms to the delight of the crowd.
Just before the teams returned to the field, the Becker Homecoming royalty appeared on the field via golf carts and waved to the jubilant crowd as their names were announced.
Foley, still determined to make the game interesting, fielded the second half kickoff but found their fortunes much the same. Three unsuccessful plays caused them to punt the ball away and Becker responded with a three-play drive, capped off with Kent’s third TD of the game from 32 yards out.
It was now time for the second-stringers to get some playing time.
Coach Dwight Lundeen and his staff relieved the starters and put Bryce Boser at QB and Cale MacMillan, Zach Fisher and Sydney Boros in the backfield. The game didn’t have the same punch it had when the starters were in there, but the second stringers held their own to Foley’s starters.
Right at the tail end of quarter number three, Boser and company moved the ball well, lighting up the scoreboard with just a minute left in Q. It was Boros notching the final TD from 15 yards out.
The Bulldogs finished the game with 22 first downs compared to just six for Foley. The Bulldogs amassed 393 yards rushing while the Flyers had just 23. Becker’s total offense came in at 588 yards compared to Foley’s 130.
Stanger went 6-for-10 for 187 yards and two TDs. Gabe Dertinger carried the ball six times for 127 yards and one TD.
Hildebrandt led the defense with four solo tackles including two for losses. Pauly had five tackles including three solos, two assists and one assist for a loss.
The Bulldogs are now 5-0 and they face Milaca on the road next Friday night. Becker remains ranked at #1 in 4A football.
