On the opening drive of the second half, John Stark’s David Wilson took a handoff and rumbled 21 yards toward the goal line, carrying two would-be Bulldog tacklers on his back the final seven yards.

That play summed up the evening for Bedford: the Bulldogs held on throughout, but weren’t able to take down the Generals, losing in Weare on Friday, Sept. 18, 14-0.

Defense was not an issue for the Bulldogs, who dropped to 1-2. The team held John Stark in check the majority of contest.

But on offense, Bedford had problems, managing just 130 yards from scrimmage.

Taking snaps was freshman James Caparell, head coach Kurt Hines’ fourth option for the position. Max Hendrickx injured his ACL in a previous contest, Tyler Weber was out sick, and Kindell Benton missed the game as well.

The freshman threw four interceptions, but three came in the final frame with his team trailing by two scores – a first-quarter John Stark touchdown and the play following Wilson’s aforementioned run.

“If you came into this game and you did not know our situation, it’d be hard for you to tell he was a freshman,” said Hines. “The biggest thing was that after he threw the interceptions, he kept his head up coming off the field.”

The majority of Bedford’s offensive plays came in the middle of the field, but the locals did have two good scoring opportunities.

Trailing 6-0 with 5:25 remaining until halftime, the Bulldogs pounced on a Stark fumble, recovering the turnover at their opponent’s 33- yard line.

On fourth down, however, a Jordan Garron run was stuffed just short of the marker, and Stark regained possession.

Then with 3:30 remaining in the third quarter, Caparell connected with Sam McClain on a long pass play that helped move the chains to the host’s 15-yard line, but he was sacked on another fourth-down play.

The Caparell-McClain pair showed promising chemistry, hooking up on multiple pass attempts, but the locals couldn’t convert their chances.

“Our defense bent,” said John Stark’s mentor, Bob Clarke. “It didn’t break.”