Bullard beats Bakersfield for D-II title, capitalizing on big mistakes

Bullard High captured its second Central Section championship in school history.

The top-seeded Knights took advantage of key mistakes and dismantled No. 2 Bakersfield for a 45-21 victory during the Division II final Friday night at McLane Stadium.

It is Bullard’s first section crown since 2009. Bakersfield was going for its 39th title with its most recent championship occurring in 2016.

Friday’s matchup was a see-saw affair early on.

But after Bakersfield tied the score 14-14 midway through the second quarter, the Knights capitalized on two huge mistakes by the Drillers to begin distancing themselves.

A penalty by Bakersfield negated a 94-yard touchdown run that would’ve put the Drillers ahead.

Instead, the Driller went on to lose a fumble late in the second quarter and Bullard returned the loose ball for a touchdown as the Knights built a 24-14 lead at halftime.

In the second half, quarterback Roland Russo started to roll and connected with Jayden Davis and Kyle Hughes for touchdowns in the third.

Then when the Drillers got within 10 points late in the third quarter, the Knights responded again with a pair of touchdowns. Bullard also held Bakersfield scoreless throughout the final quarter.

Bullard (9-4) extended its win streak to six games while defeating its opponents by an average of 23 points.

The Knights were fueled throughout the playoffs from being placed in a lower division despite historically competing at the D-I level.

“We’re built to be a Division I program,” Bullard coach Don Arax said. “But we were at the mercy of a computer. ...

“We’ll take it. We did what we needed to do.”

Section champions advance to regional bowl games Friday or Saturday. Matchups and sites will be announced by the California Interscholastic Federation on Sunday.

This story was originally published November 26, 2021 at 11:00 PM.