Attwood, Bulldogs bombard Lightning 64-44
Even Sage Attwood looked shell-shocked.
The Ida Baker quarterback stood near midfield, gazed toward an end zone he’d spent the better part of three hours in, and tried to come up with some words to describe what he’d just been part of.
It was the only time Thursday night he came close to struggling.
“It definitely was a little crazier tonight,” Attwood said softly, perhaps still grasping the gravity of a seven-touchdown performance in the Bulldogs’ video-game style 64-44 defeat of Lehigh in the District 6A-12 opener for both teams. “I guess we were able to show how good our offense really can be.”
It was just the third win in six tries for Baker through the initial stages of the season, but it surely continued a recent tradition of up-tempo scoreboard abuse. The frenetic Bulldogs have scored 35 or more points in four of their six games, including all three of the victories, and they scored 30 or more eight times in 11 games in 2013, winning seven of those eight.
The Colgate University-bound Attwood ran for three touchdowns of 38, 1 and 2 yards and passed for scores of 34, 12, 20 and 8 yards, connecting twice each with Rasheed Golden and Austin Maimone.
Baker scored eight times in 13 full offensive possessions and added another TD on a 35-yard interception return by Donte Carter, reaching 50 points less than two minutes after halftime and getting to 64 without a single point in the final quarter. Attwood was 11-of-14 for 134 yards and three of the passing TDs in the first half, ultimately finishing 14-of-23 for 157 yards and four scores.
He also ran 16 times for 128 yards.
“That’s all about what a leader is,” Attwood said. “He wants the ball every single play, and that’s what I want. I want to be able to drive the ball with my offense.”
Still, he insisted there is no specific aim to get to a certain number – 50, 60 or even 70.
The Bulldogs reached 64 points with Attwood’s two-yard run on the final play of the third quarter, but went three-and-out on their only real drive in the fourth. A subsequent possession was cut short by a fumble on the return of a Lehigh punt, and the Lightning went 14 plays following the turnover for their final score.
Baker got the ball for just one more play, an Attwood kneel-down.
“I wasn’t really thinking of the score and we weren’t really looking at the score too much,” he said. “We were just trying to go play by play and do the best we could. The first three weeks, that wasn’t Baker football. But I think we’re turning it around and we’re having a lot of fun.”
Lehigh 8 15 14 7 – 44
Ida Baker15 28 21 0 – 64
IB – Golden 34 pass from Attwood (Febles run)
L – Curry 68 run (Douglas run)
IB – Maimone 12 pass from Attwood (Muhic kick)
IB – Brennan 15 run (Muhic kick)
IB – Atwood 38 run (Muhic kick)
L – Curry 35 run (Douglas run)
IB – Attwood 1 run (Muhic kick)
IB – Golden 20 pass from Attwood (Muhic kick)
L – Douglas 40 pass from Clay (Douglas kick)
IB- Carter 35 interception return (Muhic kick)
L – Douglas 23 pass from Clay (pass failed)
L – Douglas 38 pass from Clay (Clay run)
IB – Maimone 8 pass from Attwood (Muhic kick)
IB – Attwood 2 run (Muhic kick)
L – Curry 2 run (Douglas kick)