Bettendorf and Cedar Falls go down to the wire

On Friday, Sept. 14, the Bulldogs were defeated by Cedar Falls in a battle against two ranked teams. The Bulldogs played tough against the undefeated Cedar Falls Tigers in the UNI Dome.

Despite being in such a big venue, the Dome was packed with Bulldog fans who had to make a two hour trip.

The game started off in the Bulldog’s favor, getting a defensive stop on the first series of the game. Soon after, though, the Bulldogs threw a pick six, letting the Tigers on the board first and early in the game.

The Bulldogs got a break when Cedar Falls receiver, Logan Wolf, dropped a punt, which was recovered by Bettendorf’s Rocky Schoenfelder and taken to the Cedar Falls 20 yard line.

This set up a 33-yard field goal by Keegan Schmidt to give the Bulldogs their first points and cut the lead to four.

The Bulldogs got the ball back quickly and headed a drive that led to a Carter Bell touchdown run. The extra point was good and gave Bettendorf a 10 to 7 lead late in the first half.

Cedar Falls answered with a 46-yard touchdown pass to Logan Wolf, a UNI commit. The extra point gave them a 14 to 10 lead with just two minutes left in the first half.

The Bulldogs made the best of their short time, driving down the entire field. They capped the drive off with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Carter Bell to Darien Porter. This gave the Bulldogs the lead going into halftime, with a score of 17 to 14.

In the third quarter, the Tigers put the first points on the board, with a goal line run. They regained the lead 21 to 17.

The Bulldogs couldn’t respond in the third quarter, but made their way back in the fourth with a Carter Bell touchdown run, his second of the game. The extra point was no good, but still the Bulldogs led 23-21 midway through the fourth.

Late in the fourth, the Tigers struck again with a second touchdown catch by Logan Wolf and a two-point conversion. This gave the Tigers a 29-23 lead over the Bulldogs with two minutes left in the game.

Just a few plays into Bettendorf’s two-minute drill the Tigers intercepted a pass, essentially ending the game.

The Bulldogs were left with just one play at the end of the game, Bell made the most of it rushing 55 yards to their 25 yard line, but the game was over.

Despite a great performance by Carter Bell, Bettendorf lost 29-23 to a top ranked Cedar Falls team in a shootout.

The Bulldogs will look to get back in the win column Friday, Sept. 21, against Cedar Rapids Washington, Bettendorf’s homecoming.

Coach Spranger and Coach Schaefer meet with the team in the first quarter.