HOWARD – East Knox came alive with three interceptions and three touchdowns in the second half to take down visiting Toronto, 20-6 in its Division VII, Region 27 football playoff game on Oct. 16 at Chet Looney Stadium.
The second-seeded Bulldogs unleashed freshman running back Cole Delaughter, who ran for 157 yards and a touchdown.
“We came out and we knew we had to play,” Delaughter said. “We got the job done. Our offensive line did really well. They sustained their blocks and made holes for me to run through.”
The Bulldogs defense, which held 15th-seeded Toronto (4-4) scoreless in the second half, got a break on a Blake Bonham interception in the middle of the third quarter. That gave East Knox the ball on the Red Knights’ 22. A few plays later, running back Weston Melick scored on a short run to tie the game at 6.
“Our defense did a nice job,” East Knox coach Cody Reese said. “They dialed in and stopped (Toronto) – especially in the second half. We were able to stop the run and we were able to establish the run on our side of the ball. That was huge.”
Shane Knepp got the Bulldogs’ second TD on a 7-yard run, at the start of the fourth quarter. Then, he got the Bulldogs’ second interception on Toronto’s ensuing drive. East Knox linebacker Christian Blanchard got the third pick, off a Melick tip, with 1:39 left in the game to slam the door on the Red Knights.
“Weston made a nice play on the ball and tipped it,” Blanchard said. “I was just there ... in the right place, at the right time.”
The only score for the Red Knights came early in the second quarter. East Knox quarterback Peyton Lester had just hit Melick on a 71-yard pass to get the Bulldogs (6-1) into the red zone and he was looking for more.
Lester's next pass, however, landed in the hands of Red Knights’ defensive back Avery Weigand, who ran it back 80 yards, all the way back to the East Knox one yard line. Running back Garrett Dozier scored from their to give Toronto the early lead, which they took into halftime. Dozier (32 carries, 113 yards) was a load for the Bulldogs to handle.
“Dozier is a very good back,” said Blanchard. “We studied him, all week. Our defensive line pushed their linemen back on him, so us linebackers could fill the holes and get to him.”
Next up, the Bulldogs host seventh-seeded Shadyside in a regional quarterfinal on Oct. 23 at 7 p.m.
