Bulldogs with bite

Mission football wins first game since 2008

ST. IGNATIUS - Believe.

That's what Mission Football head coach Peter Hamilton has been trying to instill in his team all preseason. Believe in your teammates, believe in what the team is building for the future.

That future got a little bit of a jump-start as the Bulldogs did something they haven't done in little over a year: win a football game.

Mission overcame a 14-7 deficit in the first quarter against Boulder and two interception returns by junior Austin Durglo en route to a convincing 34-21 victory.

But it wasn't just that the team won the football game, it was how excited they were during and after the game. So excited, in fact, that after a pumped up St. Ignatius crowd showered them with hoots and applause, they left the field for the locker room before getting the post-game talk. Hamilton didn't complain.

"It was huge, we played really well," Hamilton said. "In the second half we got kind of tired, so conditioning is a little bit of a concern, but today, I am happy."

Hamilton knew he had a young squad coming into this season, but for the most part, the Bulldogs played like well-trained vets. Penalties and costly turnovers weren't in the game plan for Mission.

The first drive of the game for Mission ended in a touchdown as the offense marched straight down the field for 68 yards on nine plays, thanks to big runs by senior running back Chris McKay. A five-yard touchdown run by senior running back Lane Wheeler would give Mission the early 7-0 lead.

Boulder would tie things up with an 80-yard drive.

And then, an interesting thing happened on the sideline. Instead of getting beat down or quiet, the players perked up. They were loud and their voices were hoarse.

"We did a really good job on the sideline," Hamilton said. "Especially with six guys missing. We were really loud and the kids enjoyed it. We didn't have that last year."

The second drive wasn't a work of art for the Bulldogs. They had to go for it on fourth down twice but the second time they toyed with fate, ended in a 30-yard run by Durglo.

A few plays later, sophomore quarterback Dylan Evans ran into the endzone to tie things up with 7:05 left in the second quarter.

"We spit and sputtered on offense," Hamilton said. "But there were times we showed signs of greatness."

Boulder sputtered on their next offensive possession and had to punt deep in their own territory. That's when Mission's special team stepped up and blocked the punt. Evans would score with 3:47 left to go in the half with the Bulldogs leading 21-14.

Sophomore Barret Sargent made a huge tackle for a three-yard loss on third down and forced the Panthers to punt again. This time, a bad snap led to the punter trying to throw the ball in a desperation attempt. Durglo picked off the pass and ran it back for a score and the 27-14 halftime lead.

"We had a lot of breaks in that game," Hamilton said. "Last year we didn't have any breaks."

Boulder scored in the third quarter to make it 27-21, but Evans kept the momentum by recovering a Mission punt deep in the Panther's territory. Both teams would trade the ball, but the Bulldogs always ended up with the better field position, usually playing at midfield. Boulder did start to put a drive together, but faced a crucial fourth and seven with just :59 to go.

Durglo would again come up big for his team, running an interception down for a touchdown, as the sideline and the crowd burst into mayhem, blowing off steam from a year without a win.

"We're going to go out and surprise a lot of people," Hamilton said.

Mission plays Troy at 7 p.m. on Friday on the road.

For full story and more pictures from the win, check out www.leaderadvertiser.com.