Bulldogs pounce on Cobras

By MIKE TOMPKINS
Published October 13, 2006

ZEPHYRHILLS -Thursday night's game between Hudson and Zephyrhills had a vintage feel to it.

The Bulldogs entered with an unblemished record, reminiscent of 1997's undefeated squad. The Cobras had a losing record and the county's leading rusher (Jake McFadden), which invoked memories of so many other Hudson squads who could run the football but do little else.

Not much has changed, as Zephyrhills jumped out to a 42-point halftime lead on its way to a 48-14 shellacking of the Cobras.

"We had a week off, and that definitely helped," said Zephyrhills coach Tom Fisher. "We just came out ready to play, and we took advantage of what they gave us. We weren't real sharp on the passing game, but when you've got the running game going, you've got to stick with it."

And stick with it they did. Although they only had the ball for 22 plays, the Bulldogs (7-0 overall, 2-0 in 3A-8) carried the football 15 times, racking up 224 yards. They were led by quarterback Sederrik Cunningham, who rushed for 94 yards and three touchdowns on four carries. Cunningham sandwiched scoring runs of 22 and 37 yards around an Alex Sampson return, as Zephyrhills led 21-0 after one quarter. On Hudson's (1-7, 0-2) second possession, Sampson scooped up a punt blocked by Beau Barnes and returned it 13 yards for a score.

Cunningham added a 41-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, following his 34-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Smith. The reception was Smith's first of the season.

With the running clock in effect in the second half, Hudson got two late scoring runs by JoJo Cimino and McFadden, who finished with a game-high 145 yards on 23 carries to give him 1,137 yards on the season.

[Last modified October 13, 2006, 00:33:11]