The Bulldogs rumbled their way to a 50-0 win over Houston Academy at home Friday night, imposing their will on the ground.

The tone was set early on in the first quarter when the Bulldogs ripped consecutive runs of about 30 yards with Derrick Myhand punching in the score with seven minutes left in the first quarter.

After a quick three-and-out by Houston Academy, the Bulldogs once again spread the love around in the rushing attack, with Jordan Hobdy,  Daquavious Coleman, Rashawn Reynolds all participating in moving the ball 57 yards for another touchdown. K’Ahriyus Pennington finished off the drive after a long 22-yard run by Reynolds to close in on the end zone.

After another Houston three-and-out to end the first quarter, the Bulldogs switched up the gameplan with a few long passes before Darrick Myhand found paydirt once again on the ground.

After a short drive by Houston Academy, Reynolds ignited the crowd with a 67-yard scamper to the house with three minutes left in the half, putting him near the 100-yard mark in the first half alone.

But the Bulldogs weren’t done. After forcing yet another three-and-out, Pike County got the ball back at their own 43 with just over a minute remaining in the half.

With just nine seconds in the half, Darrick Myhand broke open at the five-yard-line for a catch and weaved his way into the end zone to give the Bulldogs a 32-0 lead heading into halftime.

The Bulldogs continued their dominance in the second half, but fumbled at the 1-yard line on what looked like another touchdown drive. But three plays later, the Bulldogs forced Houston to cough up the ball and Pennington scooped the ball up for an 8-yard score.

The Bulldogs put the game far away on the ensuing kickoff when Houston’s returner muffed the ball, with Pike County recovering at the 21-yard-line. Two plays later, Hobdy ran in for the score.

Houston finally challenged the Bulldogs at the end of the third, connecting on a  50-yard bomb that brought Houston into the Pike County red zone for the first time of the night. But the Bulldogs stonewalled Houston to keep the shutout intact and punctuated the win with one final touchdown run in the closing minutes to even the score at 50-0.

Head coach Fred Holland said he was proud of the effort his players gave throughout the entire game.

“We’re a running team, no doubt,” Holland said. “We really stress that. I’m proud of the way they played. We had a great week of practice and it showed.”

Holland said his team will need to eliminate penalties – the Bulldogs racked up more than 10 in the game. – and focus on making extra points.

Holland said he was proud of the defense for getting off the field on third and fourth downs to give the ball back to the offense.

The Bulldogs will be back in action next week when they host Geneva