WINDSOR – After back-to-back comeback playoff wins, the Section IX 8-Man Champion Sullivan West Bulldogs met up with Section IV 8-Man Champion Moravia Blue Devils on Friday night at Windsor High School. 

It was a tough task for the Bulldogs as Moravia didn’t give them much of a chance to get anything going on offense. Sullivan West had trouble moving the ball on the stout Moravia defense, even following an interception by Evan Ebert with the Blue Devils in the red zone in the third quarter. Just over a minute after that interception, Moravia picked off Sullivan West quarterback Adam Ernst. 

The Blue Devils turned that turnover into points, as Aiden Kelly ran it in for the final points of the game. The fourth quarter was about getting backups into the game, as Moravia won, 44-0. 

“They (Moravia) are big, physical, fast and well-coached,” Coach Justin Diehl said. “It’s just, they have it all. They’re going to give whoever they play next week a hell of a game.”

The Sullivan West defense did everything they could to keep them in the game. In fact, they allowed the fewest points any team has allowed to Moravia all season, with 44. The Blue Devils defense was just that much tougher. 

“We held them to their lowest scoring all season,” Diehl said. “It was just that we could not find anything. As soon as we felt like we finally found something, they just shut it right down.”

In the rainy and wet conditions, the Bulldogs didn’t get their first completion until the fourth quarter. Rally Cruz took the snap in Wildcat formation and rolled out to his right, and threw up with a prayer - just hoping to make something happen. Ernst came down with it as he made a circus catch and started celebrating. Sullivan West, despite getting blown out, showed everyone that it’s all about having fun. 

“The boys played their butts off,” said Diehl. “They don’t quit. Even when we’re down, they keep their attitudes and that just really shows who they are as players.” 

Sullivan West made a run this year and will forever be able to say they are Section IX 8-Man Champions. The game on Friday turned out to be  the final high school game for the seniors - Cruz, Liam Cavanaugh, Allyn Walter, William Roycroft, Jakob Halloran, John Roycroft, Caden Allen, Peter Norton, Matthew Lohmann and Sebastian Berman. 

“I’m really proud of these guys, especially our seniors,” Diehl said. “Shout out to our seniors. We don’t do what we do without them. They really showed great leadership this year.”