The Tigers stood firm and forced Carl Junction into fourth down.  The crowd got their first look at the Bulldogs’ new and possibly most dangerous offensive weapon, kicker Nii Abrahams.  His 35-yard field goal was good, putting the Bulldogs up 9-0 with 7:20 to play in the first quarter.

Abrahams would finish with a pair of field goals and 3-of-3 extra points.  His kickoffs consistently made their way near Lamar’s goal line, pinning the Tigers deep in their own territory time after time including a pair of touchbacks.

His second field goal came at the 11:51 mark of the second quarter, as he nailed a 29-yard attempt and gave the Bulldogs a 12-0 lead.

Matt Thompson hit a 36-yard punt later in the quarter, placing the Tigers at their own 3-yard line.  On the first play of the series, the Tigers fumbled again and were forced to fall on the ball in their own end zone for a Bulldogs safety.  The score put the ‘Dogs up 14-0 with 9:21 to play in the first half.

Thompson quarterbacked the Bulldogs until the turbo clock kicked in late in the fourth quarter.  He finished with over 200 all-purpose yards, including 166 thru the air on 8 of 20 passing.  He threw a single interception.

Waranch finished with 107 yards rushing on 23 carries, including a 63-yard sprint late in the second quarter.  However, he was caught inside the 5 and the Lamar pursuer was able to strike the ball away from Waranch and send it thru the end zone for a touchback. 

The Bulldogs took a 14-0 lead to the locker room at halftime but missed converting several opportunities during the first half.

"We feel like we're a much better team than what we showed tonight," Coach Bret Gosch told The Joplin Globe.  "We expected to win the football game, but I also expected a better performance out of my team."

The third quarter may have been more of what the coaching staff had in mind, a quarter which saw the Bulldogs score a pair of touchdowns and extend their lead to 28-0. 

Brandon McCoy had a 54-yard kickoff return to start the second half.  Waranch picked up a 20-yard run to move the ball inside the 10-yard line and subsequently scored his second touchdown of the evening on a 3-yard dive.

Lamar responded with their best drive of the night, but Brandon Hunter sacked the quarterback on fourth and 3 at the Bulldogs 9-yard line, halting the series.

The Bulldogs then recorded their longest play of the night.  From their own 13, Thompson found a wide-open Coury Ferson near the 50 and Ferson reeled in the pass.  The tight end, initially waiting for the ball, then turned and sprinted down the sideline, carrying several Lamar defenders on his back from the 10-yard line before being dropped at the 4.  The pass covered a total of 83 yards.

Senior fullback Kyle McConnell scored the Bulldogs’ third touchdown of the night on a 3-yard run.  Abrahams’s PAT put the Bulldogs on top 28-0 with 57 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Lamar, not ready to give up, saw two fourth down passes batted away by defenders during their next two drives, including one each by cornerback Thompson and safety Joey Braeckel.

The Bulldogs’ final score came on a 12-yard touchdown run by sophomore Dakota Sailor.  The play was set up by the conversion of a third and 24 pass completion from Thompson to Braeckel, the play covering the needed 24 yards despite Braeckel fumbling the ball near the end of the play.

Safety Jake Stevenson recovered the loose ball for the Bulldogs right at the stick.

The Bulldogs' Jake Wall came up with the last Lamar fumble during the game’s final two minutes.

Senior defensive lineman Andrew Clark was credited with recording the safety.

Gosch was pleased with what he saw out of the defense.

"That was the highlight of the night," Gosch said.  "Our defense played just lights out.  Some inexperienced players came out and showed that they could play like the veteran players."

The Bulldogs recorded numerous tackles for losses throughout the evening and a multitude of players were involved in the action.  Osborn, Hunter, Clark, McConnell, McCoy and junior linebacker Chase Price all made solo stops in the Tigers' backfield.

The pressure no doubt led to most of the four Tiger fumbles, all of which occurred behind the line of scrimmage. 

The Bulldogs continue Big 8 play next week, hosting Aurora on Friday.  The game will be the first to be played on Carl Junction's new artificial turf surface.

Aurora fell 34-6 to Rogersville in week 1 play.