BULLPUPS ROLL PAST ORIOLES, 42-6, IN SEASON OPENER

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By Staff

Setting a standard for the season ahead, the McPherson High football team rolled past visiting Augusta on Friday in their 2026 season opener, 42-6.

“We were able to get some revenge from last year,” noted Bullpup head coach Jace Pavlovich. “Our kids played incredibly well on both sides of the ball.”

Taking a one-score, 14-6, led by the end of the first quarter, the Bullpups found the end zone one more time in each of the second and third quarters before putting the outcome to rest with two more scores in the fourth.

With 447 yards of total offense, McPherson rang up 20 first downs on 65 offensive snaps. The Bullpups ran for 290 yards on the ground while gaining another 157 through the air and converting seven of eleven third-down conversions.

The Bullpup defense was even more dominant as they held the Orioles to just five total yards on 32 offensive plays, including a minus-one in passing.

Coach Pavlovich was clear about his defense when he said, “Defensively, we were lights out all night while we were able to control the line of scrimmage with our defensive line.”

Playing as a team, 16 Bullpups recorded tackles in the stat sheet.

The McPherson offensive attack went through quarterback Carter Bengtson, who completed 12-of-18 passes and ran for 141 yards on 15 carries. Bengtson accounted for four scores, three on the ground and one through the air.

Dane Becker added 71 yards on 12 carries with a pair of touchdowns, with Graham Prescott running for another 45 on five totes. Eight Bullpups caught passes in the game, with Ashton Malm catching four and Izyck Puhalla finding the end zone on his lone carry of the game.

With the win, McPherson will take a 1-0 record with them when they go on the road Friday to tangle with Great Bend. The Panthers scored a 47-28 win over Scott City in their season opener.

BULLPUP STATS:

Bullpup Team Stats = 1st Downs – 20; Rushing – 290; Passing – 157; Total offense – 65/447; 3rd Downs – 7/11; 4th Downs – 0/1; Turnovers – 1; Fumbles Lost – 0; Interceptions – 1; Penalties – 9/54.

Augusta team stats: 1st Downs – 0; Rushing – 6; Passing - -1; Total Offense – 32/5; 3rd Downs – 0/8; 4th Downs – 0/2; Turnovers – 1; Fumbles Lost – 0; Interceptions – 1; Penalties – 5/27.

Bullpup individual stats:

Passing (comp/atts/yds/td/int) = Carter Bengtson – 12/18/157/1/1.

Rushing (atts/yds/td) = C. Bengtson – 15/141/3; D. Becker – 12/71/2; G. Prescott – 5/45/1; B. Milleson – 3/24/0; Y. Ordonez – 3/0/0; F. Barrera – 1/ (-2)/0.

Receiving (rec/yds/td) = D. Becker – 1/47/0; B. Hoffman – 2/36/0; A. Malm – 4/20/0; I. Puhalla – 1/19/1; J. Hoover – 1/13/0; C. Chapman – 1/10/0; B. Barkley – 1/6/0; A. Bullocks – 1/6/0.