Byers – Byers coach David Dodge has no difficulty relating to University of Colorado coach Dan Hawkins as a coach and a father.
Faced with the prospect of starting a quarterback who is not only a freshman but also your son is sure to raise an eyebrow or two.
But much like Cody Hawkins has given folks in Boulder reason to believe in the Buffs, Jordan Dodge has done the same in Byers. On homecoming Saturday, the Bulldogs, behind 183 yards passing and three touchdowns from Dodge, defeated Miami-Yoder 26-6 in a key Class 1A South Central League game.
“Well, I’ve got 10 seniors around me and our defense played pretty well,” Dodge said. “That helps out a ton.”
Clinging to a 12-6 halftime lead, the Bulldogs (4-0, 2-0) watched Don McGatlin’s Buffaloes (2-2, 1-1) take the second-half kickoff and march to the 7-yard line before stalling.
It was just the wake-up call the Bulldogs needed. What followed was a well-scripted nine-play, 90-yard drive that culminated with Dodge hitting senior Sevelle Hasan on a 25-yard scoring strike.
“I’m proud of (Jordan) as a father, he has worked real hard to get there,” said David Dodge, who needed somebody to fill the shoes of Bobby Adamson (now at Chadron State).
Said McGatlin, who won state titles at Green Mountain in 1995 and 1999: “I’ve got a good bunch of kids that are learning football … the hard way. Give (Byers) credit, they are a big tough team, but I made some bad calls. This is my loss not the kids’.”
Jordan Dodge capped his day with a fourth-quarter strike to senior Eric Steitz from 21 yards. Bulldogs senior running back James Maes rushed for 157 yards on 17 carries and one touchdown.
In a deep league in which Peyton traveled to No. 2 Burlington on Friday night and beat the Cougars 45-21, Byers and coach Dodge know the road ahead is tough.
“That old cliche … we’re going to take it a game at a time,” David Dodge said. “There’s a lot of good football teams, and if you’re not ready to play, you’re going to get hit with a loss.”
Miami-Yoder 0 6 0 0 – 6
Byers 12 0 8 6 – 26
B – Maes 11 run (kick failed). B – Adamson 37 pass from Dodge (pass failed). MY – Hall 1 run (pass failed). B – Hasan 25 pass from Dodge (Adamson pass from Dodge). B – Steitz 21 pass from Dodge (pass failed).
Staff writer Jon E. Yunt can be reached at 303-954-1354 or jyunt@denverpost.com.
