Bulldogs to face Mullin Friday
By Sam Waller
The Moran Bulldogs football team took a 56-8 loss Friday, Sept. 9 at Aspermont, but coach John Hughes said the team showed improvement.
The Bulldogs (0-3) return home Friday, Sept. 16 to host Mullin for homecoming. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
At Aspermont, Moran enjoyed production in the running game after finishing with negative yards on the ground the week before.
“We looked a whole lot better than we did in Week 2,” Hughes said. “We had better blocking and better running this time around.”
Connor Hail rushed for 76 yards on 17 carries, scoring Moran’s touchdown on a 48-yard run late in the first quarter.
Ellis Hise was 0 for 10 passing and was sacked twice as Moran finished with 63 total yards.
“There was some miscommunication on some routes,” Hughes said. “Ellis had to throw it away a couple of times. I told him if nothing’s there, throw the ball away. Live to fight another day.”
Ethan Boykin had 53 yards on kickoff returns and Hise added an 11-yard runback.
Defensively, Hise recorded five total tackles and a fumble recovery, while Hail was also in on five stops. Caleb York had three tackles, Cotten Campbell two and Boykin one. Campbell and Hise each blocked a conversion kick.
Junior High
Moran opened its junior high schedule Friday with a 40-12 loss at Aspermont.
The junior high will take on Mullin at 5:00 p.m. Friday before the varsity game.
Garrett Hamilton and Landon Moreno rushed for touchdowns for Moran.
“It was their first game, and there is a lot of room for improvement,” Hughes said. “They played four quarters, which is something to build on.”
Facing Mullin
Mullin (2-1) is coming off a 50-0 loss to Iredell after beating Brookesmith and Panther Creek in its first two games.
“They’re about a mirror image of us,” Hughes said of Mullins’ schemes.
A year ago, Moran’s game with Mullin was cancelled because a wave of illness left Moran without enough players. Hughes is hopeful his team can avoid such issues this season.
“The big thing is just to get through the season and hopefully win a homecoming game this year,” he said. “We’ve been 0-for-homecoming since I’ve been here.”
