The Centerville Bulldogs traveled to Hagerstown on Friday, Aug. 29, for an important Tri-Eastern Conference clash. The Bulldogs were prohibitive favorites against the young Tigers, who only have two seniors on their roster.
The Tigers took a lead with 5:23 remaining in the first quarter when Graham Vinson scampered into the end zone on a 15-yard quarterback keeper. Cale Schmitz added the PAT kick to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead.
The Bulldogs finally found the end zone with 5:40 remaining in the first half when Jace Hollendonner connected with Maddox Pritchett on a 41-yard touchdown pass. The PAT kick attempt was wide, leaving the normally high-scoring Bulldogs with a 7-6 deficit at halftime.
At halftime, Centerville head coach Ryan Cole and his staff made adjustments that paid dividends in the second half.
Jace Hollendonner got a step on the defense and ran 55 yards for a touchdown to give the Bulldogs their first lead at 12-7 with 9:44 remaining in the third quarter. Hollendonner connected with Pritchett on a 2-point conversion to extend the Bulldog lead to 14-7.
With less than 10 seconds to play in the third quarter, Hollendonner threw a 17-yard TD pass to Ethan Vecera to push the Bulldog lead to 20-7 entering the final period.
The Bulldogs broke the game open when Hollendonner connected with Pritchett on a 50-yard pass with 4:29 remaining in the game to give the Bulldogs a 26-7 lead.
Vinson scored from 6 yards out at the 2:41 mark and then tossed a 2-point conversion to Isaac Schmitz, trimming the Tiger deficit to 26-15, but they never scored again.
The two sophomore quarterbacks combined to throw 67 passes in the game. Jace Hollendonner completed 16 of 28 attempts for 206 yards and three touchdowns for the Bulldogs. Graham Vinson completed 18 of 39 attempts for 246 yards for the Tigers. Maddox Pritchett caught four passes for 108 yards and two TDs for Centerville. Issac Schmitz caught 11 passes for 140 yards for Hagerstown. Hollendonner was the leading rusher for Centerville with 83 yards and a TD. Vinson rushed for 44 yards and two TDs.
Kaden Hall led the Tigers with nine tackles, including a sack. Cale Schmitz had eight tackles. Defensive statistics were not available for Centerville.
Cole was not surprised by the way the game played out. “We know that anytime we come to Hagerstown, it is going to be a dog fight,” Cole said. “They are scrappy, tough and well coached. We made some mistakes in the first half, but we made some adjustments at halftime and our kids executed in the second half. It is good to get out of here with a win.”
Hagerstown head coach Scott Snodgrass said he was proud of his team’s effort. “We gave Centerville a battle,” Snodgrass said. “Not many expected that, but we expect it from ourselves. We are very young and we improved this week. I am very proud of the kids and their effort.”
The Bulldogs will host Eastern Hancock on Friday, Sept. 5, in a nonconference game. Hagerstown will travel to Union City the same night in a TEC game.
Centerville (2-0, 2-0 TEC) 0 6 14 6 26
Hagerstown (0-2, 0-2 TEC) 7 0 0 8 15
A version of this article will appear in the September 3 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.