The Bulldogs got exactly what they wanted in their district opener, rolling to a 40-0 victory against Delaware Valley League rival Jefferson County North at Stan Braksick Sports Complex.

MHS (5-1, 3-0 DVL) found itself in a scoreless tie after one quarter, but started to take control with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns. Junior Drew Cerny opened scoring with a 14-yard run, then found the end zone again when he hauled in a 31-yard touchdown pass from senior Marc Walbridge.

The defense kept the Chargers (4-2, 2-1) in check for the rest of the half, and the Bulldogs took a 16-0 lead into the locker room at the break.

“I think we started out a little bit slow, but we’ve been doing that for several games,” coach Chris Stewart said. “Midway through the second quarter, we started to get a better feel of the game and started playing a little bit better.”

Senior T.J. Crowell, one of the team’s leading rushers this season, hit paydirt on a seven-yard run to give MHS a three-possession lead at the end of the third quarter. Crowell and fellow senior Dakota Cop each ran for a touchdown in the fourth for the final margin of victory.

Cop led the Bulldogs’ rushing attack with 131 yards on 13 carries. Crowell and Cerny added 82 and 80 yards, respectively, and Walbridge tacked on 80 yards through the air. As a team, MHS racked up 369 yards of offense, compared to just 110 for JC North.

“The kids all picked up what we wanted to get done as far as coming downhill with our linebackers and keeping our corners secure,” Stewart said of the defensive improvement. “They did a good job, but JCN runs a power game, so that helped us a little bit too. We tend to have a little more success against that type of play.”

McLouth and Valley Falls are the only undefeated teams in the Class 2-1A District 2 standings, but every other team has already played an additional district game. JCN and Oskaloosa are 1-1 and Immaculata is 0-2. McLouth will travel Friday to Oskaloosa.

“I think it’s different because the kids know what’s at risk,” Stewart said. “Winning a district is much more important to them. They’re going to play a lot harder and work harder to do what we want them to do.”