CRESWELL – With a new athletic director, a new head coach, several new players, and a new field, why wouldn’t the Creswell Bulldogs start their 2025 season off with some sky swagger?
With Kenny Loggins’ Danger Zone blasting through the speakers, the Eugene Skydivers sent one of their own from the troposphere to soar down and deliver the game ball to Markley Field for the Bulldogs’ home opener against Gervais on Friday night.
Though the Bulldogs lost 40-6, the spectacle of a skydiver, the sea of red in the stands, and the return of Friday night lights was lively enough for Creswell spectators.
Markley Field was vibrant at Creswell for the Bulldogs’ home opener on Friday. ALL PHOTOS BY ADON ECCLES
Aside from the hoopla, there was no mistaking that new coach Chase Beach is only beginning to build a foundation for the Bulldogs. He said the players will need plenty of repetition and practice to grow.
“As much as it stings, and as much as I envisioned tonight going differently, I’d rather have a situation where I need to learn more about my team after a tough first half in Week One in a non-league game than in the middle of the season.”
Still, it was a competitive first half for the Bulldogs. The team utilized a spread formation with a pass-heavy offense. Sophomore quarterback Carson Jolliff relied on his arm rather than the ground game and racked up yards through deep passes rather than the run. In the first half, wide receiver Ace Bader caught a 48-yard pass. Running back Hunter Mustin and Jollif were in sync with the air raid. Mustin caught a 15-yard pass in the first half. He also ran shorter routes to give Jolliff easy checkdowns in the flat.
The Creswell defense focused on stopping the run and the offense practiced a spread formation for Friday’s debut. ALL PHOTOS BY ADON ECCLES
Defensively, the Bulldogs focused on stopping the run, which often saw defensive backs sprint down the field to stop long rushes. However, Gervais was a physical team that controlled the line of scrimmage.
“We knew they were going to be physical,” Beach said. “Their running back and their offensive line are stellar – they’re a mismatch for a lot of teams. They’re going to be very good in Class 3A. But I still thought we played competitively in the first quarter. We were moving the ball on offense. We couldn’t convert the fourth downs that we missed.”
The Bulldogs slowly saw the game slip away from them in the second quarter when Gervais wide receiver Eowaan Avgi caught the ball and took it to the end zone for the first punch. All of a sudden the Bulldogs faced a 24-point deficit by halftime.
ADON ECCLES / THE CHRONICLE PHOTO
“Sometimes in football all the bad things happen at once,” Beach said. “Those 24 points in the second quarter hurt us. But the message at halftime was that yes, they are big and they’re physical. So we need to get lower, closer to the ground, and play a little bit more physically. That second quarter is definitely where I’d like to look at some film.”
By the third quarter, officials ran the clock non-stop. The Bulldogs finally landed a punch when Coleman Breslaw recorded a touchdown. But with three minutes left, it was too little too late.
Looking ahead, Beach said he hopes that fostering a stronger sense of unity and accountability with all 11 players can help the team execute better with more consistency – particularly in the second half.
“I always tell them character is not defined by who they are when things are going well, it’s how you respond when things aren’t. ‘Who are you going to be when things aren’t going good?’ And I also told them that this is new. This is all new for me and it’s all new for them, and I wanted to learn something about my team. We all learned tonight.”
