Gridley Titans senior quarterback, Gus Stogsdill (3) runs in the first Gridley touchdown against the Corning Cardinals on Friday, Nov. 8. Courtesy photo

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - The Gridley Bulldogs traveled to Corning to face the Cardinals on Friday, Nov. 8, in a game where a higher playoff seed was at stake.

After the Cardinals had their senior night celebration, the ball was kicked off to the Bulldogs for their first drive of the game. The offense would take the ball and march down the field using the run game, taking up just over seven minutes of game time before senior quarterback Gus Stogsdill ran in the first Bulldog touchdown of the game. Making the score 7-0 with 4:36 left in the first quarter.

The Cardinals would receive the ball and respond with a long drive of their own pounding the Bulldog defense with the running game and eventually scoring using the legs of senior quarterback, Kanon Gregorio. Instead of kicking the PAT to tie the game, the Cardinals would instead go for two and convert, taking the lead 8-7 with 10:32 left in the second quarter.

The Bulldogs and Cardinals would then trade punts on each of their possessions following their opening touchdowns, but when the Bulldog offense got the ball for their third possession, they would once again run the ball and score with quarterback Gus Stogsdill. The Bulldogs would then convert on a two-point conversion of their own making the score 15-8 with two minutes to go in the half. 

The Bulldogs would get tricky before halftime and recover an onside kick giving themselves a short field. They would then score in just four plays using the legs of Stogsdill once again, making the score 22-8 going into halftime. 

The second half would be almost a repeat of the first half. The Cardinals would rush for another touchdown with junior running back, Kaleb Flournoy on their first drive of the second half and the Bulldogs would score multiple times using runs and passes resulting in a final score of 44-16.

With the win, The Gridley Bulldogs finish the regular season with a record of 7-3 (4-1 in league play) and take the 5th seed into the playoffs. They will go on the road to face the University Prep Panthers for a rematch from the first week of the season. The Corning Cardinals finished the regular season with a 4-6 record (3-2 in league play) and will go on the road to face the Yreka Miners in the playoffs. Both games are scheduled for Friday, Nov. 15, after press time.