The 118th Battle of the Bridge football game between Mount Vernon and Burlington-Edison lived up to the rivalry. The two winless teams battled until the final seconds, with the Tigers capturing a 21-14 victory Friday, Sept. 20 at home.
“It’s a very emotional moment,” Burlington-Edison coach Dalton Schwetz said. “These kids have been through a lot of turnover at the head coach position and had a rough year last year. This was a special moment because of everything those kids have done leading to this moment.”
The Tigers found themselves in trouble early on as the Bulldogs took a 14-0 lead with five minutes left before halftime.
The first touchdown came on the first play in the second quarter when running back Diego Salaz carried the ball for a 1-yard touchdown. Salaz finished the night with 26 carries for 155 yards and two touchdowns. His second touchdown came on a 16-yard carry.
Gallery: Burlington-Edison football downs Mount Vernon in Battle of the Bridge
Yet, Burlington-Edison responded at the end of the half when quarterback Cody Roetcisoender pitched the ball to Jackson Granger on an option play for a 12-yard touchdown to make it 14-7 at halftime.
“We had to learn how to win and compete,” Schwetz said. “In the past, we would have folded but instead we chipped away. That score before the half changed the game. We went into the locker room confident, knowing we could get it done in the second half.”
Granger scored his second touchdown on the opening drive of the third quarter from a couple of yards out. He finished the night with 23 rushes for 140 yards and three touchdowns.
Mount Vernon tried to take the lead back by driving near midfield. However, a botched snap forced a fumble and Burlington-Edison recovered. A few plays later, Granger scored the final touchdown of the game from 42 yards out.
The Bulldogs had one final chance on Burlington-Edison’s 29-yard line with just over a minute remaining but failed to convert on 4th-and-9, which allowed the Tigers to run out the clock.
“We got aggressive,” Schwetz said. “We trusted our defensive backs to go man coverage and blitzed there. It was a special game but one is not enough. We need to strap back up and get better tomorrow.”
Burlington-Edison (1-3) hosts Sehome at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27. Mount Vernon (0-3) hosts Ferndale at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27.
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports reporter; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
