Thursday, September 18, 2008

75 lb. Nationals football blanks Herndon in opener

Photos by Marny Malin
Kalil Wilson returns the opening kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown in the game against the Arlington Chargers Saturday. Wilson then ran in a two-point conversion.

The Belvoir Bulldogs 75 lb. Nationals opened their football season on a high note, shutting out the Herndon Hornets, 20-0, at Pullen Field Saturday morning.

The Dawgs took advantage of an easy touchdown on their first drive of the game, then converted on an extra point for a 7-0 lead.

The second touchdown for Belvoir came on a 30-yard drive to the end zone near the end of the half.

At halftime, the Hornets found themselves in a 14-0 hole.

Herndon did little to help its cause out of the intermission. The Dawgs returned the opening kickoff for 25 yards.

Moments later, Belvoir broke through the Hornets defensive line for another touchdown.

Even as Herndon attempted to frustrate Belvoir with some strong defensive plays, the Dawgs were able to put up six more points before
the game’s end.

Belvoir was able to get it done on both ends of the field. Not only were the Dawgs able to put up points, the team frustrated the Hornets with smothering defense that kept them away from the end zone.

That defense, according to head coach Adam Rheams, was the highlight of his team’s play that day.

“That was really encouraging,” he said. “We didn’t let [Herndon] have a chance to score, so that really says something. You can’t play a game without the defense.”

Of the offense, Rheams said the team was a bit shaky because it tried something new that day. He was also concerned about the number of penalties his team received, including a few false starts and illegal formations.

The victory isn’t enough to make Rheams cool his heels. He knows there’s a lot of work left to be done over the season.

“I’m not real sure where our season goes from here,” he said. “If we have teams like we did today, we’ll be fine. But I know these teams are going to keep getting better and better, and we have to adjust to that.”