DECATUR- Opening night jitters can sometimes be hard to overcome, especially if players have never performed before a live audience. For some Decatur Bulldog football players, the first two non-conference games were also theirfirst in front of a hometown crowd. Eventually, they tossed aside the jitters and played well, rolling over the Hartford Hustlers, 44-0, to win their fi rst conference game Friday.
Also making their fi rst appearance of the 2013 sports season were the Decatur cheerleaders. The 12-member squad, along with the pep band, kept the crowd and players energized throughout the evening.
Decatur jumped to an early lead, scoring 30 points in the fi rst quarter and 14 points in the second quarter against Hartford. Decatur made nine first downs to Hartford’s three.
Bulldog running back, Allen Castaneda, led the way with 122 yards rushing fortwo touchdowns and one twopoint conversion. One of Castaneda’s touchdowns came on a 63 yard run midway through the fi rst quarter.
Wide receiver Mario Urquidi also had a good night, rushing for 57 yards and 25 yards receiving for two touchdowns, the longest of which was a 17 yard pass from quarterback Meng Vang in the fi rst quarter.
Vang rushed for 40 yards and two touchdowns. He completed two out of three pass attempts for a total of 25 yards. Vang also led the way on defense, making four tackles and one assist.
Wide receiver Terry Kull rushed for 37 yards, picking up one interception, while teammate and running back, Miguel Garcia, rushed for 20 yards. Tony Mendoza was credited with the second two point conversion of the night.
The Decatur offense had an excellent night, with 273 yards rushing and 25 yards passing. The defense had 15 tackles and two assists, for a total of 17. They also made two interceptions against Hartford’s offense.
Decatur’s next game will be homecoming against the Mountainburg Dragons on Sept. 20, beginning at 7 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium.
Sports, Pages 9 on 09/18/2013