Centerville Bulldogs earn first-ever varsity win

CENTERVILLE _ Caleb LeBlanc threw for one touchdown and ran for another lifting the Centerville Bulldogs to a 13-12 victory over the Grand Lake Hornets giving CHS its first-ever varsity win here Friday at Bulldog Stadium.
Grand Lake opened the scoring at 6-0 with a touchdown run with 6:12 showing on the clock in the first quarter.
Later in the second quarter, the Centerville Bulldogs rallied for a 7-6 lead on a 14-yard scoring strike from Caleb LeBlanc to Matthew LeBourgeois with 8:08 showing on the clock.
Centerville marched 49 yards in 14 plays, chewing up over eight minutes on the game clock. Highlighting the drive were clutch running by quarterback Caleb LeBlanc along with the pass-catching ability of LeBourgeois.
On third and 15 from the 45, Centerville’s LeBlanc hooked up with LeBourgeois for a 15-yard gain before a roughing the passer penalty against Grand Lake added 15 additional yards, setting up the Bulldogs with a first-and-10 from the 18.
On the play, LeBourgeois made an exceptional grab, plucking the ball out of thin air on a comeback play, giving the Bulldogs new lift at the 32-yard line.
Four plays later, LeBourgeois duplicated his earlier effort, grabbing a pass from LeBlanc out of the air in the end zone on a fourth-and-goal from the 14 as Centerville knotted the game at 6-6 with 8:08 blinking in the second quarter.
Hunter Carter booted the extra point, giving the Centerville Bulldogs a 7-6 lead over the Grand Lake Hornets.
Grand Lake answered with a late score before halftime, building a 12-7 lead over Centerville with 22 ticks remaining in the first half.
Centerville earned a 13-12 advantage at the 4:33 mark of the third quarter when LeBlanc called his own number on a one-yard plunge before Carter made good on the extra point, sending the Bulldogs outfront by a 13-12 margin.
The Bulldogs took the second half kickoff and mounted a drive that culminated in the one-point lead. LeBlanc, who rushed for over 100 yards in the contest, opened the march with gains of 10 and eight yards before giving way to Colin Daigle for a four yard run. LeBlanc ploughed for five more yards before Daigle dashed for two more, setting up the Bulldogs with a third and three situation. Centerville quickly found new life as the Hornets were penalized five yards for encroachment. A short time later, the Bulldogs displayed their ability to overcome adversity, following a fumble recovery and a holding penalty which forced CHS to deal with a third-and-goal at the 16.
Daigle recovered a Bulldog fumble on the 12 play of the drive before Centerville was flagged for holding on the next play. LeBlanc fired a dart to LeBourgeois on the next play, giving the Bulldogs new life at the Hornets’ 5. One play later, LeBlanc hit paydirt, tying the game at 12-12. Carter booted the extra point, sending the Centerville Bulldogs outfront by a 13-12 margin with 4:33 left in the third quarter.
Centerville’s defensive unit stopped the Hornets the rest of the way, giving CHS its first-ever varsity victory.
Centerville will play host to North Central on Friday at 7 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium.