The Zephyrhills Bulldogs continued their undefeated season in dominant fashion Friday night, shutting out Rockledge 35–0 at Tom Fisher Field at Bulldog Stadium to advance to the second round of the Class 4A Region playoffs.
Zephyrhills’ offense struck early, with quarterback Patrick Harding connecting on an 11-yard touchdown pass to Saniiyn Black to put the Bulldogs ahead 6–0. The drive was powered by several strong runs from running back Roe Miller, who continued to impose his will throughout the night.
In the second quarter, the Bulldogs doubled their lead when Kingston McCullough got into the end zone, sending Zephyrhills into halftime up 14–0. From there, the Bulldogs never looked back.
Miller added two rushing touchdowns after the break, and Deori Pope hauled in a receiving score early in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 35–0. By then, the outcome was well in hand—thanks largely to a suffocating Zephyrhills defense.
The Bulldogs’ defensive unit repeatedly shut down Rockledge’s attempts to gain momentum, turning the Raiders away four times inside the 30-yard line and preserving the shutout.
“Defensively we played lights out,” Head Coach Nick Carroll said after the game. “They did a really good job… hats off to the defensive coaches and the kids for pitching that shutout.”
Despite the lopsided final score, Carroll said there is still room for improvement.
“Yeah, we didn’t play well,” he said. “I think we didn’t come out as lively as we normally do… we started slow.”
The victory pushes Zephyrhills to 11–0 on the season and sets up a highly anticipated matchup next Friday night, when the Bulldogs host Lake Wales in the regional semifinal.
“Lake Wales is a talented team and they’re well-coached,” Carroll said. “It’s a big challenge for us, and if we want to get back to (top-seeded)Jones, we’ve got to beat Lake Wales.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Tom Fisher Field at Bulldog Stadium.