Just needing the first half, the Davenport Bulldogs cruised by Keota last Friday night in the second round of the Class B playoffs.
The contest was over at halftime.
With the win, they are headed to a quarterfinals clash with Balko on the road Friday evening.
Davenport Coach John Greenfield said Monday that the game kicks off at 7 p.m. and will be played at Forgan even though the contest is against Balko.
“It’s a 4 ½ hour drive out there by charter,” Greenfield said.
The Bulldogs remained unbeaten at 12-0 following the win over the Lions. He said Balko is 11-1, losing only to Laverne by six or eight points in a district matchup.
“We played really well on both sides of the ball,” Greenfield said of his team.
“We pretty well dominated them on both sides of the ball,” Greenfield thinks.
Leading the ground attack was Parker Mitchell, carrying the ball just seven times but gaining 148 yards and scoring one touchdown. Mitchell also had a fumble recovery for the Bulldogs.
Griffin Melson had 57 yards rushing the ball on five carries, but caught four passes for 98 yards. He scored a total of five touchdowns on the night, and had two interceptions.
Sophomore quarterback Chance Acord completed 4 of 7 passes for 101 yards including two for touchdowns and rushed for 40 yards and a TD.
Cole Yancey had 22 yards on the ground with four carries and intercepted a pass.
About Balko, Greenfield said, “They are really good. We and they are both capable of winning it all,” he believes.
“Their offense is built around their quarterback who is about 6-2 and weighs 205 pounds. He’ll run and he’ll throw the ball some, too,” he said.
Balko also has a big fullback who plays tight end and linebacker. “One lineman is about 6-8 and weighs over 300 pounds. They’re really good,” Greenfield reiterated.
He added, “We’ve never, never played them.”