Bulldogs records second consecutive shutout

Fontainebleau coach Gregg Hudson smiled at the scoreboard, uncertain which number was the most satisfying.

Moments earlier, his Bulldogs put the final touches on a 36-0 home victory over Hammond in the District 7-5A opener for both teams Friday night. It was Fontainebleau’s second consecutive shutout and extended the Bulldogs’ streak of holding opponents scoreless to eight quarters.

“In the grand scheme of wins and losses the shutout is not that important,” Hudson said. “But it’s important to those kids and coaches.”

Fontainebleau (3-0 overall) has outscored its three opponents 97-28, with Jesuit the only team to score on the Dawgs in a 30-28 Blue Jays’ loss Sept. 10.

“We wanted to come out strong and play good for 48 minutes,” said Fontainebleau running back Clay Fritscher, who ran for 131 yards on 16 carries and scored on runs of 29 and 17 yards. “Last week (a 31-0 win over Douglass) we came out strong but did not play well in the second half.”

Hammond (0-2) had little to offer against the Bulldogs defense. The Tornadoes were held to 109 yards, minus-8 in the first quarter when they fell behind 9-0.

Hammond’s lone highlight was Justin Betts’ 75-yard run to the Fontainebleau 13-yard line early in the fourth quarter but the Bulldogs preserved the shutout after a series of miscues and penalties by both teams.

“We start over,” Hammond coach Rusty Barrilleaux said. “We re-evaulate everybody, we re-evaluate every position. Every spot is open.”

The Tornadoes were held to 45 yards in the second half, including Betts’ long run.

Quarterback Trevor Ragan was 6-of-17 for 37 yards with one interception, including 0 for 5 in the second half.

He was sacked four times in the final two quarters, with the Bulldogs Darrel Brown playing a part in each sack.

“The shutout was very important to lift the spirits of the players, the fans, everybody,” Brown said.

Fontainebleau dominated with a surprising twist in its offense: an effective passing game in the first half. The Bulldogs opened with a 34-yard completion from Addison Melancon to tight end Jordan Zulli that carried to Hammond’s 20-yard line and set the tone early. Four plays later, Melancon scored from 1-yard out to give Fontainebleau a 6-0 lead after a two-point conversion attempt failed with 10:29 left in the first quarter.

“We want to be more balanced offensively this season,” Hudson said. “It worked well but we still must improve.”

After a three-out-and by the Tornadoes, the Bulldogs inside the Hammond 10-yard line before settling for a 32-yard field and a 9-0 lead with 40 seconds left in the first quarter.

But in the second quarter, Fontainebleau abandoned the effective inside running of Fritscher, who had 7 carries for 45 yards in the opening 12 minutes. Fritscher had four carries in the second quarter, but Melancon picked up the slack, hooking up with Zulli for a 14-yard scoring pass with 1:25 left in the half to give the Bulldogs a 16-0 halftime lead.

“Sometimes we try to outsmart ourselves,” Hudson said.

Fontainebleau had 198 yards in the first half, including Melancon throwing for 94 yards on 6-of-7 passing. Zulli had three catches for 61 yards, all in the first half.

Melancon was 1-of-3 in the second half for seven yards, with an interception.

“They didn’t do anything different,” Barrilleaux said. “We just didn’t execute. We didn’t play the way we were (taught) during the week.”

After Melancon was picked off early in the third quarter, the Bulldogs put the ball back in Fritscher’s talented hands. He had the only carries on a three-play, 51-yard drive that culminated in Fritscher’s 29-yard scoring run that gave Fontainebleau a 22-0 lead with 5:12 remaining.

“The guards did a tremendous job tonight,” Fritscher said. “They opened the holes. All I had to do was run through them. On the touchdowns I was not getting touched.”

Vinnie Tonagel’s 8-yard run gave the Bulldogs a 29-0 lead with 2:21 remaining in the third quarter. The score came at the end of a 5-play, 22-yard drive that began after a short Hammond punt.

The Bulldogs enjoyed excellent field position through the second half thanks to outstanding special teams play. The worst starting position for the Bulldogs until late in the fourth quarter was their 41-yard line, and that came on the opening kickoff of the third quarter.

Fontainebleau closed out the scoring on Fritscher’s 17-yard run with 10:42 left in the fourth quarter.

“We thought we would be able to run in the middle,” Fritscher said. “(Hammond) likes to blitz and if we got past the line we would be able to have some success.”

Andrew Liuzza’s hustle on Betts’ long run may have ultimately preserved the shutout. After Betts broke he broke past the line, it appeared he had a clear path to the end, but Liuzza, the Bulldogs’ fastest player, caught Betts at the Fontainebleau 13-yard line.

“He’s one of our least experienced players but you can’t replace speed,” Hudson said. “That play shows the type of players we have on this team.”