By Ken Jackson
Sports Writer

St. Cloud will conclude a roller coaster-type season Friday when it makes the short trip to Gateway for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

The Bulldogs (4-6) won’t be in a playoff game like the last two years, but Coach Bill Buldini said his team will be motivated.

St. Cloud can go 5-0 on the field against county squads. The Bulldogs beat Osceola 40-34 in overtime to begin the season, but that result and a win over Martin County the next week were forfeited because of an ineligible player.

“If you’re not in the playoffs you look for things to play for at the end, and to be able to say you’re the top team in the county is important,” Buldini said. “These kids see each other all year in different sports.

“If we win, our record will officially say 5-6 but in our hearts, we’ll feel like a seven-win team and there aren’t that many of them out there. A four-game winning streak to end the season is pretty rare, too. If you’re in the playoffs only one team ends the year with a win.”

His team is coming off one of its better performances in one of its bigger games, rolling up 431 yards of offense in a 28-7 win over rival Harmony (4-5) in the Soldier City Classic. The Bulldogs brought home the Brass Bugle for the third straight year, and evened the young series at three wins apiece.

Irving Huggins (14 carries, 122 yards, 2 TDs) and Phillip Steinmetz (14-100) each went over the century mark rushing. The defense did not surrender a first down in the second or third quarters.

“It was probably the best we played all around, offense, defense and special teams, since the Osceola game,” Buldini said. “It evened the series, so the kids truly had something to play for and there’s enough people around to remind the kids about the games (that Harmony won in blowout fashion).”

A crowd of about 4,000 watched St. Cloud romp to a 14-0 lead. The Bulldogs took the opening kickoff and went 62 yards in just four plays when Eric Pfeiffer scored on a 21-yard run. After Harmony  punted, Huggins went around the right end, stiff-armed a tackler and sped down the sideline on a 61-yard touchdown run.

The Bulldogs made it 21-0 on their first drive of the third quarter, going 71 yards in 12 plays, punctuated by Huggins’ 2-yard run. The junior would put the game away with 2:07 left in the quarter when he ran for 22 yards on fourth-and-6 from the Longhorn 28. Pfeiffer ran it in from the 6 on the next play.

Steinmetz was 11-of-28 passing for 149 yards.

“Our main goal was to land the first blow, and we did that we felt pretty good,” the quarterback said. “We made some mental mistakes, but I thought we played great. I’m undefeated against these guys, so now I can think about finishing off against them next year.”

Gateway (2-7) fell to Oak Ridge (7-2), 50-6.

The Panthers broke up the shutout when sophomore Zack Smith hauled in a 24-yard touchdown pass from Roger Allen. Smith also intercepted a pass on defense.

GHS Coach Marlin Roberts said the final score doesn’t paint the whole picture.

“Believe it or not, we gave effort the whole night. Our guys went out and put up a fight, they were just too strong for us,” he said. “We played five freshmen who all made plays, and I’m not too down about how they played.”