Bulldogs roll over Wildcats 47-6
Special teams got Ida Baker rolling Friday night, and the Bulldogs kept right on rolling to a 47-6 homecoming win over Estero.
Baker (2-3) took advantage of big problems on Estero’s punt squad.
Troy Renkiewicz blocked Jack Spicer’s first punt, giving Baker the ball at Estero’s 12. Sage Attwood scored on a three-yard keeper to cap the short drive.
Spicer’s next punt never happened. Willie Overstreet took the ball away from him and ran 41 yards for a touchdown.
“I was like, ‘I need the ball. Give me the ball,'” Overstreet said. “Just kidding. I was hyped for this game. Hyped, hyped, hyped all day.”
Baker’s Calvin Roberts blocked another Spicer punt with 22 seconds left in the first half.
“They got us jump-started,” Baker coach Brian Conn said. “A couple of blocked punts. Any time you can score on special teams and not turn the ball over you’ve got a pretty good chance to win the game. I think the key for us was starting strong and fast.”
The Bulldogs opened a stretch of four consecutive home games.
“To be honest, it’s tough to tell what to expect after our first four games,” Conn said. “Turnovers every game, multiple turnovers. Not making big plays. Tonight our defense stepped up and made some adjustments, and we made the plays when we needed to.
“We held onto the ball. We didn’t have any turnovers. So that was huge for us,” said Conn.
Estero limps into the midpoint of its season with a 1-4 record. It is the fourth consecutive loss for the Wildcats beating Mariner in its season opener.
The Wildcats have been outscored 116-15 in their last two games.
Baker, on the other hand, got some needed momentum going into its District 6A-12 opener next Thursday against Lehigh.
“These guys know that we could easily be 4-1 or we could easily be 0-5,” Conn said. “Each week is a new game plan, new personnel groupings, a new team. We just have to play our best football, and I feel we’ve got a pretty good shot if we do that. We’re going into the district and nobody in our district has played a district game. We’re all starting off 0-0.”
Estero lost quarterback Cody Long for the season the week before against Naples. Baker stacked the box against the Wildcats, smothering the running game.
The Bulldogs held Wilkinson Glesil, who had gained 138 yards against Naples, to 26 yards on 20 carries. On the night, Estero had a minus-19 yards rushing as a team.
“We definitely knew they would be run-heavy,” Conn said. “It’s unfortunate that Cody went down with the injury. We knew they would be heavy run and we tried to force them to throw the ball. It worked out for our defense tonight.”
New Estero quarterback Nick Johnson only attempted four passes. Johnson hit Alec Eschenwald on a 50-yard touchdown strike late in the fourth quarter to avoid the shutout.
“It felt like tonight that they really took charge,” Conn said of his team. “They’re really frustrated. There’s definitely been some frustration in the locker room, especially after being successful and having high expectations for this year.”
Attwood’s three-yard scoring run was just the start of a big night for the homecoming king. The senior quarterback hit Rasheed Golden for a 20-yard score and Overstreet on a 25-yarder, then ran for a 31-yard TD for a 34-0 halftime lead.
“He stepped up,” Conn said of Attwood. “He’s been battling a little bit of a leg injury the last couple of weeks. He said he felt good tonight, and we called the offense like we would normally call it. He had a heck of a game, and came to play.”
Cade Petter caught a two-point conversion pass from Attwood.
In the second half, Brennan Williams added a 48-yard touchdown run and backup quarterback Jordan Diggs scored from eight yards out.
Williams had 97 yards rushing on nine carries.
Bulldogs running back Jhshod Thornton, who had season-ending surgery for an injury against Cape Coral two weeks ago, was taken out to midfield in a wheelchair to take part in Friday’s coin toss.
Estero 0 0 0 6 – 6?
Ida Baker 21 13 7 6 – 47
IB – Attwood 3 run (Muhic kick)
- IB – Overstreet 41 fumble return (kick failed)?
IB -Golden 20 pass from Attwood (Petter pass from Attwood)
IB – Overstreet 25 pass from Attwood (kick failed)
IB – Attwood 31 run (Muhic kick)
- IB – Williams 48 run (Muhic kick)?
IB – Diggs 8 run (kick failed)?
E – Eschenwald 50 pass from Johnson (conversion failed)