The first half was very sloppy for the Bulldogs, as they had three turnovers and five penalties during the first two quarters. They only managed one touchdown, which they scored in the second quarter when Josh Roemeling hit T.J. Schultz on a 15-yard slant for the only score of the half.
Meanwhile, the defense was doing a great job of keeping Sauk Centre out of the endzone, as they had plenty of opportunities due to the turnovers by the Bulldogs' offense. The first half ended with the defense stopping the Mainstreeters on the ten-yard line, where they tried a 27-yard field goal, which fell short.
The third quarter started with the BulldogsÔ Josh Trees busting through the Mainstreets' line and hitting their quarterback, causing a fumble. Chris Sogge picked up the ball and sprinted 32 yards for six points for the Bulldogs.
Sauk Centre then came back behind their 270-lb. fullback and drove the length of the field to score for the Mainstreeters.
Paynesville responded by scoring on a two-yard run by Roemeling with two minutes left in the quarter. This made the score at the end of the third quarter: Paynesville 18, Sauk Centre 7.
The fourth quarter was all Paynesville, as the Bulldogs scored three times to put the game out of reach. The first of the three scores was a 17-yard sweep by Ben Bork. One minute later, Roemeling scored on a one-yard plunge.
Paynesville scored its last touchdown of the night on a ten-yard run by Roemeling, his third touchdown of the night.
The final score was: Paynesville 38, Sauk Centre 7.
The Bulldogs traveled to Litchfield last night to play the third-seeded Dragons in the section playoffs. Results of the game will be in next week's paper.
If the Bulldogs win, they will play again on Saturday against either Melrose or Sauk Centre. The game would either be at Melrose or home against Sauk Centre.
Paynesville 0 6 12 20 - 38
Sauk Centre 0 0 7 0 - 7
Scoring summary
Pay--T.J. Schultz 15 pass from Josh Roemeling (run failed);
Pay--Chris Sogge 32 fumble recovery (run failed);
SC--Mike Larson 3 run (Derek Borgman kick);
Pay--Roemeling 2 run (run failed);
Pay--Ben Bork 17 run (run failed);
Pay--Roemeling 1 run (run failed);
Pay--Roemeling 10 run (Sogge run).
Individual statistics
Rushing (attempts-yards-TDs): Jeff Voss 21-98; Ben Bork 15-50; Josh Roemeling 6-37; Joe Hiltner 6-27; Adam Schaefer 1-2;
Passing (completions-attempts-yards-TDs): Bork 3-5-53; Roemeling 2-5-18-1;
Receiving (receptions-yards-TDs): Voss 2-37; Scott Braun 1-16; T.J. Schultz 1-15; Chris Sogge 1-3;
Tackles (solo-assists): Joe Nosbush 8-6; Sogge 3-4; Braun 3-5; Shaun Fleischhacker 2-6; Chris Rohe 2-5; Steve Flint 2-5; Adam Miller 2-4; Josh Trees 1-3; Matt Brauchler 1-3.