Bulldogs post 3rd shutout 48-0
It was a big night for Ida Baker High senior Johnny Garcia, on and off the field, in front of a packed house Friday night at Bulldog Stadium.
Off the field, Garcia was named homecoming king, while on the field the linebacker/tight end led the Bulldogs to a 48-0 victory over the North Port Bobcats.
Garcia, a Wake Forest commit, found the end zone on a 12-yard touchdown catch and a 17-yard fumble recovery. He finished with two catches for 31 yards and five tackles, including a sack.
Baker’s offense looked shaky on its first possession, with a dropped pass falling into the hands of a North Port defender.
Senior running back Joseph Byrd wasted little time reassuring the Baker faithful, as he scored on a 12-yard run on their next possession, the only score in a sluggish first quarter for both teams.
The second quarter was a different story for the Bulldogs (5-0), who scored five consecutive touchdowns.
Along with Garcia’s two touchdowns, Byrd added two more to his total, with runs of 4 and 1 yards. The one-yard score was set up by a fake field goal where quarterback Sean Francis, posed as the kicker, found Christian Rivera, who took the ball down to the 1-yard line.
The final score of the quarter came from Francis, who scrambled 16 yards to the end zone. Byrd finished with 92 yards on 17 carries. Francis carried the ball 10 times for 70 yards. Francis was also 6-of-11 passing for 69 yards.
The Bulldog defense continued their stingy play, recording their third shutout of the season.
The Bobcat offense looked helpless against Bulldogs who held them to 61 total yards in the first half, and only three first downs.
North Port (1-4) finished with just 154 yards of offense. The lone standout performance for the Bobcats was the play of tight end Drake Sunderland, who had four receptions for 83 yards.
“I’m as proud of them tonight as I’ve been the last four weeks,” Baker coach Brian Conn said. “They fly around and swarm to the ball. They take pride in what they do.”
That pride was contagious, as the second string defense refused to let up, sacking the Bobcat quarterback several times in the fourth quarter.
Baker’s offense pulled back the reigns in the second half going to a more conservative approach.
Brandon Cruz finished off the scoring with a 35-yard touchdown run for the Bulldogs, who open District 4A-12 play next Friday when they host Gulf Coast.
North Port 0 0 0 0 – 0
Ida Baker 7 34 0 7 – 48
First Quarter
IB – Joseph Byrd 12 run (Cody Kluesner kick)
Second Quarter
IB – Johnny Garcia 12 pass from Sean Francis (Kluesner kick)
IB – Byrd 1 run (Kluesner kick)
IB – Byrd 4 run (Kluesner kick)
IB – Garcia 17 fumble return (conversion failed)
IB – Francis 16 run (Kluesner kick)
Fourth Quarter
IB – Brandon Cruz 35 run (Kluesner kick)