Only 67 total yards allowed by Dawgs ‘D’ at CAK
KNOXVILLE — Kahlil Abdullah had a big game when his team needed him most.
Abdullah, Bearden High School’s senior wide receiver, had five receptions, including three touchdowns, to lead the Bulldogs to a 47-0 non-region victory over Christian Academy of Knoxville Friday night, Sept. 21, at Warrior Stadium.
“Coming into the game we knew that we were the dominant team,” said Abdullah, who amassed 100 receiving yards against the Warriors. “We knew that we had to come in here and we knew that we had to get off to a fast start.
“Especially when we were coming in after that loss last week, when we got off to a slow start and we almost came back,” he added about a 28-21 home loss to region foe Science Hill. “We came in here and did what we wanted to do, and now we feel like we’re on top again.”
All, however, wasn’t rosy for BHS (5-1).
Bearden was flagged 14 times for 131 yards, which nullified touchdowns and big plays.
“We’ll have to clean those things up. We had a couple of blocks in the back on punt returns,” Bulldogs head coach Morgan Shinlever said. “But when you have blocks in the back, that’s because you have guys being aggressive and trying to make plays and we did have some holds that cost us some big plays.
“We have some things to work on and we have some things that we need to clean up. We have to be more disciplined on offense.”
But Bearden’s defense was particularly stout on this night. The Bulldogs made homecoming night miserable for the Warriors (1-5). CAK could muster just three first downs and 67 yards of total offense.
And once the offense got clicking for the Bulldogs, they scored in bunches after scoring just seven points in the first quarter.
Bearden got on the board when quarterback Collin Ironside connected with receiver Addison Ironside on an 8-yard scoring strike midway through the opening frame. Collin Ironside completed 13 of his 20 passes for 163 yards and four touchdowns. He also was effective on the ground, rushing for 43 yards and a score on seven carries.
Collin Ironside’s 17-yard scoring scamper made the score 13-0 early in the second stanza.
He followed that with two touchdown passes to Abdullah and another to running back D.J. Cox to give Bearden a 33-0 lead early in the third quarter.
Backup quarterback Eli Snyder had a 59-yard touchdown pass to Abdullah to make the score 41-0.
Makai Williams closed the scoring with a 39-yard scamper in the final frame.
“... I think we had a few things go wrong here and there. We still have a shot in our league,” said Warrior Luke Simpson, one of the team’s top players and senior leaders.
“People see the scoreboard and you’re ultimately judged by the scoreboard and I hate that for our kids,” CAK head coach Travis Mozingo said. “We have some guys who are banged up and we have 16 seniors. ... We don’t want who we play to dictate the effort we give, and these kids are fighting hard and getting better.”
