By LEXXI BAGGETT
News Sports Writer
Coach Shaun Arnst had announced ahead of time that he and his Freeport Bulldogs were “coming after the [Northview] Chiefs,” and that is exactly what they did Friday night on the Chiefs’ home turf. With a score of 48 to 19, the Bulldogs choked the Chiefs in both defense and offensive tactics.
During the first quarter, the Bulldogs showed they meant business when their freshman running back, K’wan Powell, plowed through with a 97-yard touchdown. The Bulldogs kept the lead the entire game, but the Chiefs answered several points with touchdowns of their own. At the end of the first, the score was 7-0 Bulldogs, but sophomore Trent Peebles bullied through with a second-quarter touchdown. Extra points were good. Tie game.
Freeport’s Powell added another touchdown, and fellow teammate Rajah Hooks did as well, all before the half, but another score from the Chiefs came right before the band show when Jayden Jackson saved a bad snap and scored. Going into half-time, fans were still staring at a lagging Chiefs’ score of 21 to 13.
Another Trent Peebles’ touchdown came during the third quarter, but the extra point was no good. That was it for Northview. The rest of the evening was spent trying to recover from their own errors, including throwing interceptions, fumbles and some missed defensive plays. The Bulldogs added another 27 points to their score, including a score by Zach Johnson on their defense who picked up a fumble and pushed it through the end zone.
“It was a hard night for us. We made a lot of mistakes, both offensively and defensively,” said Trent Peebles after the game. Peebles, as well as his coaches and other players, are worried about the overall attitude and spirit of the team. “We need to see some wins in order to keep our spirits up.”
This Friday night the Chiefs will travel to Jay to battle it out with the Royals. Both teams have won only one game each, so it should be well-matched. As a well-seasoned Chief fan, my advice is not to discount the Chiefs this season. Yes, Freeport was a district contender, but the season is not over yet, and the Chiefs are known for pleasant surprises and happy endings. See you at Jay!