Sports Page 6 The Gunnison Valley Gazette by ANDY HILL It doesn’t get much better than high school football in the fall. The leaves are changing, the nights are clear, and air is clean. But anytime you travel to Coalville, you never know when a crisp fall night will turn into a winter wonderland. The Bulldogs found this out last Wednesday as they made the long trip to take on the North Summit Braves on the first really cold night of the year. This game was very different for the Braves, who coming into the game were winless. Last year they hoisted the 2A State Championship trophy to end a tremendous season. This season, they had struggled, just hoping to salvage a very tough season. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, came into the game with some solid momentum after arguably their best performance in a win over rival North Sevier. It was a game that was sure to be a battle. The first quarter ended with neither team able to muster much in the way of offense, and finished with a score of 0-0. In the second quarter the Braves were the first to put points on the board as Anders Skagerburg rumbled 10 yards to make the score 6-0 for the Braves. The extra point failed, and the half ended with the Braves still clinging to a small lead. In the third quarter the Braves fired up their running attack as Devin Ovard and Courtney Orgill both scored Thursday, October 8, 2009 by MITCH PETERSON Mark Henline/Gunnison Valley Gazette Cutler Frandsen on a run around the end. from the ground. Ovard finished the day over the 100 yard mark, as did his team mate Anders Skagerburg, who ended with 121 yards. It looked as though the Braves were going to run away with the game when the Bulldogs started to fire back. Led by a solid rushing attack, Gunnison scored on a 1 yard run by Brogan Neal to close the gap at 18-6. Cutler Frandsen then ran in the 2 point conversion to make it 18-8 as the third quarter came to a close. Coach Jackson has a word with the team. In the fourth, the Braves again scored from the ground, this time on a 12 yard run by Anders Skagerburg, his second on the night. The extra point failed, but this was all that the Braves needed to close out the game with a 24-8 victory. The Bulldogs look to get on their winning ways as they host the South Summit Wildcats as a part of their Homecoming activities this week. Come out and support the Bulldogs in their final home game of the season. Mark Henline/Gunnison Valley Gazette The Gunnison Lady Bulldog soccer team got a huge region win over Grand in Moab last week to wrap up a brutal stretch of road games. The win sets up an even bigger final week of the regular season. Last Tuesday, September 29th, sophomore Sarah Nilsson got her 14th goal of the year, while senior Fekirte Deskins scored the second half game-winner as the Bulldogs beat the Grand Lady Red Devils 2-1. The win is Gunnison’s third straight over Grand, dating back to last year’s playoffs. Megan Jensen and Brieann Peterson split time at goalkeeper. The win also vaulted the Bulldogs past Parowan into third place in the South Region heading into the final two regular season games this week. Those two teams will tangle this Wednesday in Gunnison. The next day, the Bulldogs host Beaver in their regular season finale. They’re both big games and it’s nice to have them at home, according to head coach Jaron Jensen. “I’m looking forward to two home games, that’s for sure. That was a killer stretch,” Jensen said. The Bulldogs have played five of their last six games on the road. Here’s what we know about the 2A South Region standings heading into the final week of the regular season. First of all, the Millard Lady Eagles are the region champions. The Eagles have a perfect 30 points with two games left, meaning second place Beaver, with 22 points, can’t catch them. (Teams get 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie). Gunnison is third with 18 points, Grand is fourth with 17 points, and Parowan is fifth with 16. South Sevier is locked into sixth place with 6 points. This week, Gunnison hosts Parowan on Wednesday, October 7th, and Beaver on Thursday, October 8th. The game against Beaver on Thursday is the last regular Mitch Peterson/Gunnison Valley Gazette Gunnison sophomore Sarah Nilsson (12) spins away from a defender in action earlier this year. The Bulldogs wrap up the regular season this week, then it’s on to the state playoffs. season game of the year. After that, the Bulldogs will head to the 2A state playoffs. Their final place in the standings and their post-season schedule depend on how things work out around the region this week. First up for the Bulldogs this week is Parowan on Wednesday. The Rams got a 3-1 win over Gunnison in Parowan a couple weeks ago, but it was a tight match. “We’ve got to shut down their crossing game and we’ve got to pass better up in front,” Jensen said. Jensen says Parowan and Beaver play a similar style, but Beaver may be a more physical team. “They play almost the exact same defense,” Jensen said. “They play that sweeper-back. You have to be able to pass out through it.” The Bulldogs played Beaver tough a couple weeks ago, but the Beavers prevailed 2-0 on their home field. “We’ll know going into Thursday what’s at stake,” Jensen said. “It could be a battle for that second place spot. That would be absolutely huge.” I caught up with Bulldog senior sisters Megan and Morgan Cejudo at last Monday’s practice. Morgan injured her right leg during a game against South Sevier two weeks ago, but she’s hoping to return for the playoffs. She says the team has come together nicely during the year. “We help each other out. We have had a blast,” Morgan said. As a senior, she says she’s enjoyed her role as a team leader. “It’s nice to help the younger girls improve. You want to be that kind of person that they look up to,” Morgan said. “No matter what happens, we’re all going to be happy. We’re going to be pretty cheerful.” Megan has mostly played midfield winger this year. She says it’s been a great season, but it’s gone by fast. “I feel like we just started, and now it’s almost over,” Megan said. “It’s fun. We grow with each other. We become like sisters.” She says the team needs to stay focused and bring a lot of energy to this week’s games. “We just need to do what we’ve been doing,” Megan added. She says the team learned something the last time they played Beaver. “Beaver is very aggressive,” Megan said. “Since we played them last time, we’ve gotten a little more aggressive because we know we need to play like that. If we work really hard like we did against Millard in Fillmore, we’ll do good this week.” If you can, come on out and support the Lady Bulldogs this week as they finish up the regular season. Wednesday’s game against Parowan and Thursday’s game against Beaver start at 4 pm at Bulldog field, just north of the Bulldog football stadium. And next week, check with the Gazette for the Lady Bulldog’s postseason schedule. Celebrate Homecoming Week with the Gunnison Bulldogs! Pizza • Calzone Breadsticks • Salad Coach B’s of the Free Delivery (Limited Area) 528-3792 57 South Main • Gunnison HEAP WEEK Brennon Jensen Happy to Serve You Specialty Pizza’s: Chicken Alfredo• Philly Steak & Swiss• BBQ Chicken • Chicken Bacon Ranch Stix of all kinds: Bread Stix • Cheezstix • Pepperoni Stix • Hawaiian Stix • Cinnastix • Yummy Stix Lunchtime Special: Pizza by the Slice Coach B’s Lotsa Motsa Sports Calendar GVHS Girls Volleyball Tue Oct 13 • South Sevier @ Gunnison • 4:30/5:45/7:00 Thur Oct 15 • Gunnison @ San Juan • 4:30/5:45/7:00 GVHS Girls Soccer Wed Oct 14 • First Round @ Home Schools Sat Oct 17 • Quarterfinals @ Home Schools Football Fri Oct 9 • South Summit @ Gunnison • 7 pm • Homecoming This week’s Heap of the Week goes to Brennon Jensen. Brennon drives a greenish Honda Accord. “It’s Kayla’s.”