Young Bulldogs add to winning tradition by starting season 7-0

IRA — The winning tradition continues for the Ira Bulldogs, but with a roster filled with new players.
Ira, which had not lost a regular season game since 2008, finished the non-district schedule with a 7-0 record. The Bulldogs had a bye last week and will open the District 7-1A Division I schedule against Westbrook at home Friday.
Unlink past years, winning has not come by the 45-point mercy rule as often for Ira. The Bulldogs scored late in two different games to claim wins and only one game ended on the mercy rule.
“I’m proud of how the players have played during the first seven games,” Ira head coach Toby Goodwin said. “The coaches challenged the players to find their identity. We’re still working on doing that.”
Goodwin credited the players, a majority who played on last year’s JV team, for making the quick transition to the varsity level.
“Some players moved to new positions and are now more comfortable playing there,” he said. “Our winning tradition is a part of it. They watched the other teams through the years win and want to keep it going. They want to uphold the tradition.”
Hunter Cotton has developed into a team leader on both sides of the ball. He plays both quarterback and safety.
The Bulldogs tradition of productive tailbacks continue with Ramiro Rios while Boocker Brasuel has turned into a “clutch receiver,” Goodwin said.
Cotton has completed 22-of-53 passes for 295 yards and 12 touchdowns. He leads the defense with 62 tackles and 11 pass breakups.
“I knew Hunter could do the job,” Goodwin said. “He has done a good job of becoming a team leader.”
Rios is a double threat for the Bulldogs. He is the team’s leading rusher with 942 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also has caught two passes for 33 yards, both for touchdowns. Rios has completed 9-of-17 passes for 187 yards and seven scores.
“Ramiro is a good example why we have a JV program,” Goodwin said. “It took him time to learn the speed of the game. We have asked him to do a lot for us. He’s learning to make positive yards”
Brasuel is the team’s leading receiver with 10 catches for 201 yards and eight touchdowns.
“Boocker filled a spot that I didn’t think about him playing before the season,” Goodwin said. “He has done a great job and continues to improve.”
The Bulldogs have relied on other players for an efficient offense. Matthew Hoyle has rushed for 383 yards and four touchdowns. Anthony Sosa has caught nine passes for 188 yards with six touchdowns. Emanual Cabrera has seven catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
“Anthony is our best athlete and we have asked him to do a lot of things,” Goodwin said. “Cabrera is one of the guys who made big plays. Matthew is one of our fastest players. He is allowing us to do more things on offense in order to give Ramiro a breather.”
Austin Rollins anchors the front line at center. Rollins has caught two passes for 16 yards and one touchdown.
“Rollins is another player who learned the speed of the varsity game,” Goodwin said. “He usually goes against the best athlete on the other team.”
Injuries have limited action for Kaven Dillard, who has rushed for 35 yards with one touchdown. Dillard has also recorded five tackles.
“Kaven was our only returning starter,” Goodwin said. “He is a good leader and is helping the other players on the field.”
The Bulldogs have been an opportunistic defense by forcing 19 turnovers — 15 fumbles and four interceptions. Cotton has five fumble recoveries, followed by Rios with four and Hoyle and Eddie Ervin with two each. Cabrera has one fumble recovery and one has been credited to the team. Cotton has three interceptions and Cabrera has one.
Sosa is the second-leading tackler with 44.5 stops, followed by Ervin with 38.
“Boocker, Anthony and Eddie have played well on the defensive line,” Goodwin said. “They’ve got good speed and quickness and continue to learn every game. Our safety (Cotton) is designed to do that. Hunter knows his roles on offense and defense and played well.”
The Bulldogs took advantage of the open date to work on fundamentals and prepare for the three district games.
“These players have a no quit attitude,” Goodwin said. “They refuse to accept defeat. We’ve started preparing for Westbrook and are taking a one game at a time approach.”
Goodwin said the players realize that they must earn everything.
“We must stay focused and can’t overlook any team,” Goodwin said. “The biggest key to success is continued improvement on the fundamentals.”