Bulldogs "snake" out 38-16 win over Winter Springs Thursday

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  • Aside from one scoring play, the St. Cloud defense held Winter Springs to negative yardage. PHOTO/DAN PEARSON
    Aside from one scoring play, the St. Cloud defense held Winter Springs to negative yardage. PHOTO/DAN PEARSON
  • The offending snake that caused a third-quarter delay in the game. PHOTO/ERIC GODFREY, ST. CLOUD H.S.
    The offending snake that caused a third-quarter delay in the game. PHOTO/ERIC GODFREY, ST. CLOUD H.S.
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In a game where they did not play their best, the St. Cloud Bulldogs were able to literally and figuratively “snake” out a 38-16 win over Winter Springs on Thursday night.

The game was delayed for a few minutes in the third quarter when a three-foot diamondback rattlesnake slithered onto the field.  The snake never got close to the action and Athletic Director Bryan Smart reported it was captured unharmed and released into the woods behind the St. Cloud practice fields.

As for the game, St. Cloud (3-2) had its problems with execution early in the game.  The team ended up fumbling four times – losing it twice – and also were flagged 13 times for 125 penalty yards.

“Happy with the win, but certainly not happy with the way we executed,” Bulldogs coach Mike Short said.  “Fumbles are going to happen in high school football, but the excessive penalties were really unacceptable.  We definitely need to clean that up.”

Winter Springs, which came into the game 0-4 and outscored 189-7 thus far, threatened to make a game of it in the first half.  St. Cloud got the ball to begin the game but fumbled on its second play from scrimmage.  Bears quarterback Jonathan Adams would direct an 11-play, 49-yard drive – capping it off with a 2-yard touchdown run and Winter Springs led 7-0.

Noah Carr would counter with a 5-yard scoring run on St. Cloud’s next possession to make it 7-6 game.  Wyatt Castellucci would then change the momentum of the game with a 64-yard punt that pinned the Bears on their 5-yard line.  The Bulldogs would force a punt and Terrance Griffin’s 19-yard return set up a short field.  Two plays later, quarterback Logan King hit Owen Conner with a 12-yard touchdown pass and a successful Joseph Clukey two-point conversion run that made it 14-7.

The game would remain 14-7 until the final seconds of the half when a roughing the passer penalty and two offsides calls set up a 41-yard field goal by Parker Munjed to cut the gap to 14-10.  With just 14 seconds remaining in the half, St. Cloud recovered an on-sides kick, before King completed an 18-yard pass to Conner and Adrian Gonzalez-Lopez booted a 39-yard field goal at the buzzer to extend the lead to seven.

St. Cloud would dominate the second half. Other than an 80-yard touchdown pass from Lucas Vertullo to Tah’rell Beck, the Bulldogs held the Bears to negative yardage in the half.  In the final two stanzas, the Bulldog defense recorded five sacks, two tackles-for-loss, forced a fumble and recorded an interception.

“Overall, I thought our defense played a really solid game,” Short said.  “We had a little trouble stopping their running game on the first drive and then they got that long touchdown on a broken play in the second half, but other than that I thought we were pretty good all night on defense.”

Despite the penalties and turnovers, St. Cloud did enough on special teams and offense in the second half to put the game away. Clukey got things going midway through the third period with a 40-yard touchdown run to make it 24-10.  A Bryce Williams interception and 13-yard return set St. Cloud up on the Bears 17 to start the fourth quarter and four plays later King hit Yadiel Rivera on a 17-yard scoring strike to extend the lead to 31-10. After Beck’s long touchdown make it 31-16, Clukey would put the game away with a 73-yard punt return for touchdown.

Thursday’s game gives St. Cloud an extra day to prepare for next week’s opponent Osceola, in the 99th meeting of “The Game.”  The Kowboys have dominated the series of late, including a 56-0 win last year.  St. Cloud last won on the field in 2012 but later had to forfeit the win over a player eligibility issue.  The Bulldogs last officially won with back-to-back victories in 2004-05. 

“It’s a rivalry game, but until we start winning some of those games, it doesn’t feel much like one,” Short said.  “They are a talented team on both sides of the ball.  We will get a good week of practice in and hopefully give them our best shot.”