The Otsego football team needed to secure wins in each of its final two games in order to reach six victories and guarantee itself a berth in the playoffs.
One down, one to go.
The Bulldogs scored the game’s first 28 points and cruised to the 31-16 road win over Sturgis on Friday, Oct. 18.
Otsego (5-3) featured a balanced offensive attack against the Trojans. The Bulldogs rushed for 190 yards as a team, while quarterback Owen Watson threw for another 132 yards on 8-of-13 passing.
That balance carried over to the timing of Otsego’s points, as the Bulldogs scored seven points in each of the first three quarters before going for 10 points in the final stanza.
Ashton Atwater got the scoring going for the Bulldogs, finding the end zone on a 27-yard run in the opening quarter for the first of his two TDs.
Derek Ward followed with a 7-yard scoring run in the second quarter to give Otsego the 14-0 halftime lead.
The lead increased to 21-0 on Atwater’s 2-yard scoring run in the third quarter before going to 28-0 on Mason Ingold’s 5-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter.
Sturgis avoided the shutout thanks to a 50-yard scoring run by Christian Rooyakkers. The Trojans added a 70-yard punt return for a touchdown to complete the game’s scoring, with an Otsego field goal sandwiched between.
Atwater led the Otsego rushing attack with 65 yards on 14 carries, while Ingold had 59 yards on nine carries. Peyton Bohl (four carries) and Ward (seven carries) chipped in with 33 and 30 respective yards.
Jaxsen Callaway had a team-best 84 receiving yards on three receptions, including one that went for 45 yards. Bohl had three catches for 29 yards, while Parker Eastman (10 yards) and Atwater (nine yards) each had one reception.
Ward and Jacob Visser each intercepted a pass to highlight the defensive effort by the Bulldogs, with Ward and Trea Knight each recovering a fumble.
Watson and Bohl were each in on a team-best five tackles.
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