Sierra Linda is fighting for its first win of the season

The Sierra Linda Bulldogs run out of the tunnel before kickoff on Friday night. (Gabriella Salguero Photo/ AZPreps365)

Gabriella Salguero is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Sierra Linda High School for AZPreps365.com

The Sierra Linda Bulldogs broke their losing streak against Betty H. Fairfax on home soil by a score of 21-10 in a thrilling back-and-forth game on Friday night.

Both teams entered the game with a record of 0:4 and were hoping for their first win of the season. At halftime, the Bulldogs trailed 10-7.

“We lost the first four games, two of which we had in the fourth quarter and gave it away,” Sierra Linda coach Roland Pierce said. “It felt terrible, but we lost at halftime and got the win.”

The Bulldogs’ offense adjusted its game plan and the defense stepped up to stop the Stampedes’ momentum in the second half.

This led to a rushing touchdown by Sierra Linda quarterback Joe Pearson. The Bulldogs took a 13-10 lead in the third quarter.

“The first half was definitely the hardest mentally,” Pearson said. “We were a little weak in the second quarter, but the little pep talk at halftime helped.”

During halftime in the locker room, the message was clear to the Bulldogs: get their act together and stop making any more mistakes.

The first drive of the fourth quarter ended with a bad snap by the Stampede that went over the quarterback’s head. The Bulldogs recovered the ball at the 11-yard line.

“We get the first down, we run out the clock to try to score and win this game, but we can’t,” Betty H. Fairfax coach Tyrone Preyer said. “We can’t have that. We have to do better.”

That mistake led to a 5-yard rushing touchdown for the Bulldogs, giving them a 21-10 lead with 9:02 left in the fourth quarter.

When the Stampede got the kickoff, they had another opportunity to take the Bulldogs’ lead. The offense tried to gain yards, but the Bulldogs’ defense forced them to punt.

Bulldog returners dropped the ball during the punt and the Stampede gained possession at the Bulldogs’ 42-yard line, giving them another opportunity to score a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

Once again, the Bulldogs’ defense stood strong in the final minutes of the game, intercepting the ball on the Stampedes’ second play of the drive.

As the Bulldogs’ offense neared the end zone, the Stampede’s defense recovered a fumble at the 32-yard line, giving their offense one final chance to score with three minutes left in the fourth.

Again it was just two plays and the dominant Bulldog defense intercepted again at the Stampede 31-yard line with two minutes left.

The Bulldogs’ offense took the field for the final time and ran the ball to run down the clock and earn their first win.

“We practiced really hard every day this week,” said Bulldogs running back Wesley Reece, who ran for 132 yards. “We increased the intensity and even trained at six in the morning.”

This determination stems from what the coaches preached to their players during their preparation throughout the week.

“All week we’ve been preaching mental toughness, execution and playing 48 minutes of football, and that’s exactly what we did tonight,” Pierce said.

The Stampede (0-5) hosts the North Mustangs (0-5) next Friday at 7 p.m.

The Bulldogs (1-4) will face the Gila Ridge Hawks (1-3) on Friday at 7 p.m