D-Town showed some pride in the second halfĪfter having little to show for the first half, the Tigers opened the third quarter with a 13-play, 68-yard drive for a touchdown. In all, using Ruiz, Niemann and Heath Hedrick as the primary ball carriers, the Hornets ran 38 times for 173 yards (often straight behind their interior offensive line) and three touchdowns (two by Niemann).
We knew it was going to be a struggle to stop their run. “We didn’t have the ball but three times in the first half,” said Harris, whose team entered the contest on an 8-game winning streak.
And after one quarter the Hornets led 7-0 and had eight first downs to none for the Tigers. The Hornets didn’t do anything tricky, but they were very successful on the ground and ate up a lot of clock in the process.īehind touchdown runs from Jeremy Ruiz and quarterback Quinn Niemann, Bishop Moore took a 14-0 lead at the half, running 29 offensive plays to just 18 for DHS. When asked how long the Tigers (8-3) had to prepare for the Hornets (5-6), knowing they wouldn’t have Fitzpatrick, Harris again replied “LJ didn’t play.” Bishop Moore had a sound offensive strategy He is the rare uniquely skilled player who can change a game on offense, defense or special teams with one touch.ĭunnellon coach Price Harris declined to elaborate as to what the issue was, only saying “LJ didn’t play” each time when queried about Fitzpatrick after the contest. Through 10 games this season Fitzpatrick had team-highs in rushing yards (510), receiving yards (528), non-passing touchdowns (14) and interceptions (seven). Here are three things we learned from DHS’s loss.
With senior do-it-all LJ Fitzpatrick not suited up or in the stadium, the second-seeded Tigers struggled in the first half and charged back in the second, but ultimately fell to visiting No. DUNNELLON - The Dunnellon football team bounced back to win eight games after losing 26 starters from 2020’s Class 6A state semifinalists.īut Friday night, the absence of one player did a great deal to cost the Tigers their season in the FHSAA Class 5A, Region 2 quarterfinals.