Playing at home against Sierra Grande on Sept. 19, the Dove Creek High School football team produced its best performance of the season, winning 54-14.
Keying the Dove Creek victory was an outstanding performance by senior running back Chance Randolph, who rushed for 269 yards and five touchdowns.
According to Dove Creek head coach Shane Baughman, Randolph’s performance was not altogether unexpected.
“We knew that Chance was capable of that,” Shane Baughman said. “The first couple of games, he wasn’t hitting the hole as quickly as he should. We made some adjustments and it worked out for the best.”
Also playing a key role for the Bulldogs was junior Case Baughman, who had 107 yards rushing and 89 yards receiving. Case Baughman was also effective defensively, registering 16 tackles and returning an interception for a touchdown.
“We’ve been looking to get some turnovers and turn those into touchdowns,” said Shane Baughman.
Thanks in large part to Randolph and Baughman, the Bulldogs pulled ahead 8-0 after the first quarter and 28-8 by halftime.
A 26-point third quarter for Dove Creek blew the game open, and the Bulldogs coasted to the easy win.
With their record at 1-3, Dove Creek will return to the practice field in advance of a road matchup against Hoehne. The game will take place at 7 p.m. on Sept. 26.
“We haven’t played (Hoehne) in several years,” said Shane Baughman. “I know they’re a storied program. They’ve been the state champions a few times in the last five years. We’ll see what we can do.”