GUNNISON—If the season opener for Gunnison football is any indication how the rest of the season will go, fans are in for an exciting season.
The Bulldog offense looked more than ready to go in their first game as Gunnison took down American Leadership Academy (ALA), 52-6, at home last Friday. The Bulldogs moved to 1-0 for the second year in a row.
“While we played very well, we need to improve our depth on the offensive line and our overall fitness level,” Coach Patrick King said. “We had cramps and hydration issues, and those need to be eliminated.”
The Bulldogs starting quarterback, Tyson Tucker, started the season on the injured list which led Peyton “Skip” Jackson to fill in. Responsively, King’s staff opted to run the ball on nearly every down. Jackson attempted only two passes and went 0 for 2, but the team had a total of 486 rushing yards.
Senior running back Tyrek Hopkins pulverized the ALA defense to the tune of 183 rushing yard and three touchdowns on 17 carries. “Hopkins is a very dynamic player,” King said. “He has worked hard over the summer to be the focal point of our attack.”
King said that like 2020 All-State running back Zach Stewart, Hopkins will be a critical factor every game.
Senior Bryson Sorenson took the ball for an 80-yard return in the first quarter to start off the Bulldogs running game. Sorenson racked up an impressive 162 rushing yards on only eight carries.
“I am looking forward to see how our backfield looks by mid-season,” King said.
Jackson scored two touchdowns and Pearson Judy ran one more in to keep the Bulldogs ahead of the Eagles the entire game.
With four minutes remaining, junior Andres Valencia intercepted ALA’s pass and ran it back for a 28-yard return and pick six. After Judy’s PAT, it gave the Bulldogs a 52-0 lead.
With only three minutes left, ALA ran back a kick return for a 95-yard touch down to put the Eagles on the board a little to late.
With the impressive game the Bulldogs had, King said there is still room for improvement.
“I’d like to polish our zone coverage package while cleaning up some of the small mistakes that we saw on special teams,” King said. “Our field goal protection must be improved right away.”
The Bulldogs will be back on the home field this Friday against the Milford Tigers, 5 p.m. for JV, 7 p.m. for varsity.
