Bulldogs give it their all in the second half and beat Bison 41-27 | Sport

WATERFORD – After Meadville fought to a halftime tie with Fort LeBoeuf, the Bulldogs came out on top, matched the Bisons' intensity and walked away with a 41-27 victory.

Meadville won by two points, but Fort LeBoeuf threatened to hold on until the final minute of Friday's non-regional game at Carm Benito Field.

“I think we have some new starters on both sides. I think the pace of the game, the intensity of the game, I think we maybe weren't mentally prepared for it. Fort LeBoeuf was ready,” Meadville head coach Ray Collins said. “They were very well prepared for this game. They came in and their offense was very effective.”

Meadville scored the first touchdown when senior Amari Grenaway ran the ball in from the 1-yard line, but Fort LeBoeuf answered with a two-play touchdown drive. Meadville quickly answered with a one-play touchdown drive – a 62-yard pass from Jacoby Thompson to Grenaway.

Thompson scored a rushing touchdown in the second quarter, but Fort LeBoeuf scored two more points to tie the game at halftime. Then it was time for a dare.

“I was surprised it took us so long to turn up the intensity,” Collins said. “I challenged them at halftime. We're level, 0-0. If you want to start the season 1-0, you have to win the second half.”

Fort LeBoeuf got the ball to open the half and continued to move the ball at will. The Bisons marched down the field, mostly on the ground, and scored on a 1st and 1 attempt from the 5-yard line.

The Bisons lined up again to take the rock, but junior safety Landon Carter hit the back in the hole with a booming hit. The collision was loud and kept the Bisons out of the end zone, but it also helped turn the momentum in the Bulldogs' favor.

Fort LeBoeuf then had a false start, a short run and another penalty before the drive ended with a missed field goal. After the turnover, Lawrence ran unchallenged 86 yards on a trap play to give Meadville a 28-21 lead.

“We came out and I thought we turned up the intensity, but we fell right back, almost like the moment was too big for them. Until they started to gain some confidence. I think when they were able to stop them on that series and it resulted in a missed field goal, I think that was the moment they gained some confidence and said, 'Okay, we can do this,'” Collins said. “I thought they played really well after that.”

Lawrence scored two more rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter, unofficially bringing his total to four touchdowns on the day with 154 yards. Fort LeBoeuf scored in the fourth quarter, leaving the team with just one possession, but the Bulldogs extended their lead with Lawrence's third touchdown.

Meadville managed 302 yards on the ground, but also 176 yards through the air. It's not exactly a pass-first approach. But the passing game will keep the defense from gearing up against the run, or so Collins hopes.

“We have two quarterbacks that can throw the football very effectively. I like to think that hasn't been a big option for us in years past and we've taken advantage of that,” Collins said. “Now that we have two guys that can throw the ball pretty effectively, it's like waking up on Christmas morning and finding a new toy under the tree that you weren't expecting. That's a new dimension to our offense that we can rely on.”

“I think it makes the defense loosen up. We're getting the box full because everyone knows we like to run with the ball. We scored the first goal when the safety was at the back of the box and we threw the ball right over his head. We're going to try to keep the opponents on their toes with our passing game.”

Thompson ran 58 yards, threw for 79 and caught two passes for 97. Grenaway ran 60 yards and caught two passes for 69 yards.

With the win, Meadville is 1-0 on the year. The Bulldogs will prepare for a road trip to Connellsville next week, a 140-mile trip for an out-of-region game. Collins hopes Friday's game was a wake-up call for his young team.

“Fort LeBoeuf moved the ball at will and we had a lot of guys that I didn't really think would put in the effort that we're going to ask of them in the future,” Collins said. “I think they understand now that practice has to be taken seriously because if you don't practice hard, you're probably not going to play as well. Young guys learn, growing pains, we saw all of that tonight.”

Meadville 14 7 7 13 — 41

Fort LeBoeuf 7 14 0 6 — 27

First quarter

M – 1-yard run by Grenaway (kick by Simon Farrelly-Jackson).

FLB – Walters 61-yard run (Hunter Villa Xp)

M – 55-meter pass from Thompson to Grenaway (Xp good)

Second quarter

FLB – Blose 9-yard run (XP good)

M – 25-yard run by Thompson (good XP).

FLB – Walters 20-yard pass to No. 29 (Xp good)

Third quarter

M – 86-yard run by Lawrence (Xp good)

Fourth quarter

M – Lawrence 2-yard run (Xp blocked)

M – 3-yard run by Lawrence (Xp good)

FLB – Blose 57-yard run (Xp not good)

Individual statistics

RUSHING: M — Thompson 9-58, Lawrence 14-154, Miller 3-30, Grenaway 9-60, Feleppa 1-(-4).

PASSING: M — Feleppa 2-3 97 yards, Thompson 3-6 79 yards 1 TD.

RECEIVING: M — Grenaway 2-69, Thompson 2-97, Phillips 1-10.