The Hampton-Dumont-CAL football team grinded out a 7-6 win over Clarion-Goldfield-Dows in Friday’s home opener.
The Bulldogs had some drives stall throughout the game with some unforced errors, but made crucial plays in big moments. Late in the first quarter, Joe Powers busted off a 36-yard touchdown run to put the Bulldogs up 7-0, which remained the score for most of the game.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Cowboys finished a drive with a nine-yard touchdown run by Selvin Gonzalez. On a two-point conversion attempt, Kolton Hefti found Henry Holmes on an out route, but Hunter Rieken made the tackle at the one-yard line to keep the Bulldogs in front. After that, the Bulldogs ran out the rest of the clock to seal the win.
Hampton-Dumont-CAL coach Cole Miller says the defense was stout, shutting down an offense that rushed for over 500 yards and scored 44 points in the previous week.
“They played their tails off against a very ground and pound team,” Miller says. “They loaded at the line of scrimmage and tried to pull seven guys at wherever they’re trying to run it. Our guys battled all night and we were able to come up with a huge stop before halftime and a huge stop on a two-point conversion at the end that ultimately gave us the one-point win. So defense played really well. We’ve got to clean it up on the offensive side.”
The Bulldogs (1-1) will return to action next week at Iowa Falls-Alden, and the Cowboys (1-1) will host Estherville Lincoln Central.
