For the most monumental team effort on the night, however, we venture out Route 50 to Cline Stansberry Stadium where that loud thud you might have heard Friday night was the sound of the Doddridge County Bulldogs jumping off the schneid.

At long last…After ten consecutive losses…After 364 days of futility…After being outscored by an average margin of 40-8 during that span…They’re finally dancing in the streets of West Union. Following a winless start on the season that compounded a Bulldogs’ losing streak which spanned 10 games dating all the way back to September 23 of a year ago, the day in which DCHS last claimed victory, Doddridge County head coach Dan McConnell decided it was time to revamp his line-up. In a move stitched by necessity, one of the key changes McConnell made was shifting quarterback Greg Reed, the Bulldogs’ most versatile playmaker, to the starting tailback slot in an effort to give Reed more carries in the Bulldogs’ downhill running game. The switch of positions by Reed in turn prompted McConnell to hand the offense over to untested sophomore quarterback Matt Dotson. The move was risky. Despite a number of stellar outings at the helm of the DCHS junior varsity squad, the strong-armed Dotson was an unproven commodity at the varsity level. As it turned out, McConnell’s changes paid off Friday night in the Bulldogs’ 43-28 win over Gilmer County…It was a win which came on the eve of the one year anniversary of their last victory – a 59-12 decision over Gilmer on September 23rd of 2005. Greg Reed shined with 207 yards rushing and three scores. Matt Dotson, meanwhile, played like a grizzled veteran, avoiding costly turnovers as he connected on 8 of 14 attempts for 116 yards and a TD strike to the sure-handed Troy Wilsoncroft while directing a Doddridge attack that racked up nearly 500 yards of total offense.