As Blitz walked the New Haven sideline during the first half of Friday’s game at Leo, he saw a team in control.
Calm. Cool. Collected. Focused on the task at hand.
It didn’t hurt that the Bulldogs scored the first 20 points of the game, in part because of Mylan Graham’s next level speed that wow’d from the second play from scrimmage Friday night.
But as Leo mounted a furious comeback in the fourth quarter, eventually tying it up and sending the Northeast Eight showdown into overtime, Blitz again went over to the New Haven sideline. With the game seemingly slipping from their grasp, how were the Bulldogs reacting?
Calm. Cool. Collected. Focused on the task at hand.
It’s what allowed New Haven to score on its opening overtime possession and survive 42-41 after the Lions missed the PAT on their initial overtime score.
While the game had peaks and valleys with plenty of emotion right up to the end, New Haven stayed even keel. It rolled with the punches and never took its early 20-point lead for granted.
And that is what truly impressed Blitz as New Haven moved to 4-0 in dramatic fashion.
Having athletes doesn’t always equate to victories. The Bulldogs have plenty of them, and they were on display on Friday. Graham hauled in eight receptions for 113 yards and three scores, including the eventual game-winner. Ajani Washington went for seven catches for 87 yards and a score while also grabbing a crucial interception. Tre Bates rushed for 143 yards on 16 touches.
But it wasn’t the skill of the athletes that earned the win for New Haven, it was the will.
When Leo tied the game on a 43-yard pass from Kylar Decker to Landin Hoeppner, past New Haven teams would have fallen apart.
When the Lions got the ball with less than 20 seconds in plus field position with an attempt to win, past New Haven teams would have given up the winning points.
This New Haven team didn’t. It did not allow two touchdowns over the final 6:05 of regulation to affect their mindset. Instead, they went out, executed and put themselves atop the NE8 power rankings with an emphatic dumb.
The Bulldogs have been hyped before.
In 2020, New Haven began the season 3-0 which included a road win over a Pioneer squad that won 12 games and got to semistate. The Bulldogs ended up 5-5.
Blitz heard much the same this week, especially after he picked Leo to win by four. That wasn’t an indication that this bear didn’t believe New Haven was a good team with outstanding players. It was more that he doubted how the Bulldogs would handle adversity when it struck.
And despite the fast start on Friday, adversity did strike. New Haven turned the ball over three times. It committed eight penalties for 89 yards. It allowed a 35-21 lead entering the fourth quarter disappear.
But instead of wilting, the Bulldogs rose to the occasion. It executed when it needed to and notched a statement dub on the road – the biggest for the program since 2017 when Coach Jim Rowland’s final New Haven team went into East Noble in Week 4 and emerged with a 35-33 victory.
That team? It shared the NE8 title, but lost to Bishop Dwenger in sectional play.
This squad? It has the talent to achieve more. But more importantly, it has the determination and the maturity to whatever situation is thrown at them.
These opinions represent those of Blitz and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Blitz on Twitter at Blitz_OTH
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