Bulldogs put the bite on Midgets

WATERLOO -- Playing in front of a huge crowd and breaking in a new stadium, the Waterloo Bulldogs had center stage Friday.

That debut turned out to be a wild success as they smacked a highly regarded Freeburg team 26-0 as the running of Zach Laidley and Tyler Fickas was the difference.

Laidley scored three touchdowns, including the first on Waterloo's new artificial turf field. Fickas turned in 182 yards rushing and his big gains and slick cuts led the way to a pair of touchdowns.

"It's great to have a shutout on a new field," said Laidley, whose third TD came on a 10-yard run with 1:34 remaining. "We haven't had a shutout in about three years, so it's pretty great. To do it tonight was a real great way to start the season."

Waterloo coach Dan Rose was a nervous wreck for much of the week. Even some unforeseen game-day issues kept him wondering when his team could just get on the field and start playing.

"You win your first game on your new field, especially at a new high school, and it's special," Rose said. "I know how this would have felt if we would have lost. It was a good step for the program."

Laidley scored twice in the first half to put Waterloo on top 14-0 and the Bulldog defense did the rest. Facing one of the area's top small-school offenses, Waterloo kept enough pressure on quarterback Alex Fricke and came up big anytime the Midgets got inside the 20.

Fricke completed 12 of 33 passes for 120 yards and also threw an interception.

Freeburg running back Tyler Adamson led his team with 87 yards on 15 carries, but was ejected after picking up a personal foul penalty in the fourth quarter.

It was that kind of night for the Midgets (0-1).

There were bad snaps, dropped passes and far too many penalties by Freeburg -- even for an opening-night contest.

"With the new field and everything, we knew they were going to be ready to go," Freeburg coach Ronnie Stuart said. "No excuses, they're a good football team. We just didn't play our game tonight. We could never get in a rhythm.

"(Alex) had some good balls and things like that. We'd get in a rhythm and then we'd drop a pass. With our spread offense, it's hard to run when you don't catch the football."

History will show the first touchdown at Waterloo's new stadium was scored on 2-yard flip pass from quarterback Tim Kassebaum to Laidley with 5:21 remaining in the first quarter.

Aaron Aycock's extra point put Waterloo on top 7-0.

Kassebaum's 62-yard pass to Brian Schaab led to the touchdown. Schaab eluded a final defender, but slipped and fell at the 2 before he could reach the end zone.

"I've got to thank Brian, because he got it all the way down there," Laidley said.

Schaab added an interception early in the second quarter.

Freeburg runs a spread offense out of a shotgun formation, putting extra emphasis on snap execution from center. That became a problem on several occasions, the most costly one coming in the third quarter when a high snap sailed over quarterback Fricke's head and rolled into the end zone.

Fricke scrambled back and managed to get off a pass, but was called for intentional grounding in the end zone and Waterloo was awarded a safety.

After a fourth-down pass from Fricke to Dustin Kimball fell incomplete near the end zone, Fickas set up another Bulldogs' touchdown.

Fickas shifted directions twice during a 74-yard run, nearly eluding the entire Freeburg defense before being hauled down at the 2.

Two plays later, Laidley bulled his way in for the touchdown and Aycock's point after gave Waterloo a 14-0 cushion.