When Haddonfield and West Deptford met on Oct. 2, the Bulldawgs outlasted the Eagles 28–25 in an overtime thriller.
Their second meeting on Dec. 7 at Rowan University for the South Jersey Group II title was much lighter on drama, but Haddonfield didn’t seem to mind.
The Bulldawgs rolled to a 27–0 victory on Sunday, clinching a perfect 12–0 season as well as the team’s second South Jersey Group II title in as many seasons.
After a tightly-contested first half that ended with Haddonfield leading 7–0 on a Jacob Klaus one-yard rushing touchdown, the Bulldawgs ran away from the Eagles in the second half — literally.
Klaus and senior quarterback Mike Alberto combined for 237 yards rushing as well as three rushing touchdowns in the game. Alberto also threw a 17-yard touchdown to Tyler Klaus.
Trailing 7–0, West Deptford fumbled on the opening drive of the second half.
Alberto and the Dawgs took full advantage of the turnover, as he scampered for a 25-yard touchdown on the first play that followed the fumble.
After another Eagle turnover and the touchdown pass to Klaus, Alberto sealed the win with a six-yard rushing touchdown. Haddonfield missing the extra point after that score was about the only thing that went wrong in the third quarter, as the team forced two turnovers and scored 20 points.
The win gave the Bulldawgs their second consecutive championship and third in five seasons. Overall, the team has won 10 South Jersey titles. This is the first time Haddonfield has won consecutive titles since the 1963–64.