LOVELAND — It was the best of halves and the worst of halves for the Hotchkiss Bulldogs.
Trailing 21-7 at halftime Saturday against Resurrection Christian, coach Zac Lemon rallied the Bulldogs, made necessary adjustments and watched them score 42 unanswered points in a 49-21 victory at Loveland Sports Park. Hotchkiss advanced to the Class 1A semifinals.
“They have great athletes and had a heck of a game plan,” said Lemon, whose 11-0 team traveled 6 1/2 hours to play the game. “We got a little confidence and were able to move the ball, and luckily we were able to play out the second half.”
The No. 2 Bulldogs will be on the road again this week — an eight-hour trip this time — to play No. 11 Wiggins (8-3), which stunned No. 3 Lutheran on Saturday. Resurrection Christian finished its inaugural playoff season with a 7-4 record.
The star of the game for Hotchkiss was senior tailback Jaime Rodriguez, who had a 96-yard touchdown run in the first half.
Rodriguez also excelled against the Cougars’ defense in the second half. He helped draw the Bulldogs even in the third quarter with touchdown runs of 3 and 6 yards.
“We just needed to settle down because we knew this could happen to us,” said Rodriguez, who finished with 309 yards rushing on 19 carries. “We calmed down and began to do what we do.”
Resurrection Christian unraveled during a 73-second stretch early in the fourth quarter when quick-striking Hotchkiss scored three times. The Bulldogs’ explosion of points started with a 37-yard touchdown pass to Tell Hawk, followed by a 14-yard interception return by Brayden Wilson and a 6-yard run by quarterback Braeden Horton.
“We knew they were explosive, especially those backs, and they got away from us a couple of times,” said Cougars coach Rich Yonker.
Hotchkiss 7 0 14 28 — 49
Resurrection Christian 7 14 0 0 — 21
RC — Dewald 50 run (J. Mondt kick). H — Rodriguez 96 run (Galley kick). RC — Dewald 13 pass from J. Mondt (J. Mondt kick). RC — Butler 22 pass from J. Mondt (J. Mondt kick). H — Rodriguez 3 run (kick failed). H — Rodriguez 6 run (Horton run). H — Hawk 37 pass from Horton (kick failed). H — Wilson 14 interception return (Rodriguez run). H — Horton 6 run (Galley kick). H — Rodri- guez 72 run (Galley kick).
Jon E. Yunt: 303-954-1354 or jyunt@denverpost.com
