By Greg Gulas

sports@vindy.com

Poland vs Watterson

Gallery

Poland vs Watterson

Poland

The last time Poland High School faced Columbus Bishop Watterson, it was the final game of the 1999 season and a 20-13 win by the Bulldogs secured a perfect 15-0 campaign and the Division III state title.

The rematch 15 years later was closer than the final score indicated.

Dom Petrony passed for 197 yards and three touchdowns, Marlon Ramirez added 132 yards rushing and a score and the Bulldogs scored the final 27 points of the game as they defeated the Eagles, 27-16, Friday night at Dave Pavlansky Field.

“We make no excuses, but when we were down 16-0 I just felt like I had to make some plays in order to get us kick-started,” Petrony said. “Their 1-2 record is very deceiving because they play a very strong schedule.

“Our offensive line did an excellent job of protecting me and opening holes for Marlon. We made some mistakes today that we’ll need to correct before we meet Hubbard next Friday night.”

The game was the first of four consecutive home games for the Bulldogs (4-0).

The Eagles got on the board first when Sam Maglicic hit Alex Loscko from 32 yards away at 3:36 of the first quarter for the first of his two TD passes.

They extended their lead to 9-0 at the 1:53 mark on a safety when the ball was snapped over Poland punter Austin Wilson’s head.

The Eagles (1-3) extended their lead to 16-0 at 8:14 of the second frame when Maglicic found Teddy Walter from 24 yards, but the score turned out to be their last of the game as they fell for the third consecutive time this season.

“We play a hell of a schedule; one of the very best in any division,” Eagles coach Dan Bjelac said. “We did some things really well tonight and Sam did some good things as well under center. We can do better, however, and a lot of that comes from confidence.”

The Bulldogs finally got on the board when Petrony hit Duarte with a 10-yard pass at 2:32 of the second period, pulling to within 16-7 at halftime on the first of two scores from Duarte.

“Dom and I were in sync tonight as we saw their coverage and how much time he needed while operating out of the shotgun,” Duarte said. “We needed this win in order to build momentum as we now look to Hubbard next week.”

When Petrony hit Duarte from 12 yards away with 17 seconds left in the third quarter, the Bulldogs pulled to within 16-14 heading to the final period.

Ramirez’s 15-yard dash with 4:17 remaining gave the Bulldogs the lead for good at 20-16 and when Adam Wollet caught a 32-yard aerial from Petrony at 2:02, that rounded out the scoring on the night and complete a run of 27 consecutive points by Poland.

“We felt like we could play with the Eagles, but needed to prove it on the field, which we did,” Wollet said.

“When we were down in the first half, we didn’t panic but we knew we had to execute in order to get back into the game,” Ramirez said. “I cannot say enough about our offensive line because they opened big holes for me all night and provided plenty of protection for Dom.”

Bulldogs coach Mark Brungard said senior leadership played a big part in the win.

“Throw the records out because Bishop Watterson is really an excellent team. Hats off to our defense because they made the necessary adjustments and came up big in the second half,” Brungard said. “Our seniors are gritty and have plenty of resolve and I was proud of their leadership tonight.”

The Poland defense held the Eagles to just 13 yards rushing on 21 totes, holding their Central Catholic League opponents to just 60 total yards in the second half.