The 10U Belhaven Bulldogs were impressive on the defensive end, but their offense let them down in a 12-0 loss to the Washington Colts. The Bulldogs, despite pitching a second-half shutout, failed to earn a first down on Saturday afternoon.

The Colts struck for a pair of touchdowns in the first half, and managed the clock well throughout the contest.

Rashad Little was relentless running the ball for Washington. After the Colts’ defense forced Belhaven three-and-out on its game-opening drive, Little took four handoffs deep into Bulldog territory.

It seemed the Bulldogs wised up to his running habits. They stopped Little for no gain twice in a row, leading up to a fourth-and-goal scenario at the Belhaven 5-yard line. Little again took the handoff, and was able to find the end zone on a do-or-die play. It gave his side a 6-0 lead with just two ticks left in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs then fumbled the ball away on the first play of their ensuing series. On second-and-12, Little took off for 27 yards to carry the Colts to the 3-yard line. A penalty backed them up, but Jamel Corey was able to score from eight yards out.

Washington took a two-possession, 12-0 lead with 3:28 to play before halftime. With another three-and-out, Belhaven mustered just seven plays in the first two periods of the game.

Try as they did, the Colts were unable to hit pay dirt before the break. The Bulldogs started finding ways into Washington’s backfield, which set the Colts back as they raced the clock for another touchdown.

Belhaven continued to get past Washington’s offensive line in the second half. Corey took a deep kickoff and returned it back to midfield, but the Colts couldn’t muster much else before punting the ball away.

The Bulldogs went three-and-out again, but Famous Wilson pounced on a fumble shortly thereafter to get them the ball back. They forced a Washington turnover on downs early in the fourth quarter, too, but couldn’t capitalize on any of their second-half offensive opportunities.

Max Vansant gave the Colts’ offense life late in the game. He took off for a 29-yard gain after the defense forced a three-and-out, but time expired before Washington could make a touchdown out of it.

The Bulldogs performed admirably considering they only had 11 players for the game. Their endurance in keeping Washington from scoring in the second half was impressive.