By Richard Polen
rpolen@joplinglobe.com
GALENA, Kan. — The Galena Bulldogs won the Class 3A bi-district championship Tuesday night with a 53-8 victory over Erie.
The Bulldogs, 10-0, play Saturday at Osage City, which defeated Central Heights 28-6. Game time will be determined later this week.
Galena, which lost a fumble the first time it had the ball, scored on its next six possessions and took a 45-8 halftime lead. The Bulldogs had most of their junior varsity players on the field for the start of the second half and played several freshmen.
“We talked the last few days about being ready to go,” Galena head coach Beau Sarwinski said. “We came out a little flat. We only had a few days of preparation, but we overcame some things and responded. I was pleased with that.”
Erie’s only first down of the first half came on a touchdown pass with 2:12 remaining in the first quarter. Quarterback Blake Bolander found running back Keith Marquardt on a middle screen, and Marquardt eluded Galena’s defensive backs on the 31-yard scoring play that tied the score 8-8.
Galena held the Red Devils to 21 yards rushing in the first half, while the Bulldogs’ offense was led by senior receiver Colton Leet, who had five catches for 136 yards, and running back Troy Albright, who had 110 yards on 11 carries.
“After we woke up, we started playing Galena Bulldog football,” Sarwinski said. “We’re bi-district champs and ready to move forward.”
The Bulldogs took an 8-0 lead on the first play of their second possession when Albright broke through the middle of Erie’s defense and scored on a 53-yard run. Passes of 22 and 36 yards to Leet from quarterback Jacoby Martin set up a 1-yard run by Albright that gave Galena a 16-8 lead late in the first quarter.
Cody Clark’s 10-yard touchdown run put the Bulldogs up 24-8, and sophomore Zach Gougler, who normally plays on the offensive line and at linebacker, took a handoff from Martin and dove over the goalline with 4:21 to play in the first half for a 31-8 lead.
A bad snap from center on an attempted punt by Erie gave Galena the ball at the Erie 13, and Martin’s scoring pass to Leet on the next play put Galena in front 37-8.
Clark scored again on a 1-yard run, and freshman Tyler VanCleave ended Erie’s last possession with an interception. VanCleave played at quarterback in the second half.
The only touchdown of the second half came when freshman linebacker Trenton Little picked up an Erie fumble and sprinted 73 yards into the end zone.
