Senn recovers, tops Foreman

Updated: March 22, 2011 5:22PM

Senn found itself in a very unfamiliar situation against Foreman.

On the other side of the scoreboard.

Foreman receiver Elijah Rios stunned the Bulldogs by scoring on a beautifully thrown 46-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Sergio Serrano on the fourth play from scrimmage.

It marked the first time this year the Bulldogs trailed in a game. It did not last very long.

Behind the all-around play of senior star Cody Gillard and junior running back Shadoe Nichols, Senn responded with six unanswered touchdowns to knock out the Hornets 46-7 Thursday night at Hanson.

The game started strangely. Senn (8-0, 6-0 Big Shoulders) was more than an hour late arriving for the game and they were clearly out of sorts at the beginning. By contrast, Foreman was playing behind a huge homecoming crowd and was stoked.

"We just had to regain our focus and get back to running the ball," Nichols said. The small, powerful Nichols is just 5-4, but he shredded the Hornets' defense by scoring two touchdowns and gaining 150 yards on 14 carries.

"I'm so small, I was able to get behind my blockers and find the holes and they couldn't see me," Nichols said. "The blocks were there the whole night."

Gillard (17 carries, 72 yards, 2 touchdowns) smashed off a 25-yard burst on his second carry. After Nichols' own 20-yard burst, Gillard tight roped down the left sideline for a 12-yard touchdown run. Quarterback Quinnel Johnson's two-point conversion put the Bulldogs up to stay.

Johnson's 23-yard screen pass on fourth-and-18 keyed the Bulldogs' second touchdown, Johnson's one-yard toss to wide out Jermaine Baker on fourth and goal in the closing minutes of the second quarter. The touchdown put the Bulldogs up 16-7 at the break.

"They were keying on the man from the other side, and it left me open and they were able to come back to me on the swing pass and it was open," Gillard said.

Nichols ripped off runs of 12 and 10 yards to set up his 13-yard touchdown burst for the 24-7 lead. He followed with a 20-yard touchdown gallop that extended the Bulldogs' lead to 30-7 with two minutes to play in the third quarter.

Gillard's subsequent interception turned the game into a rout, keying his second touchdown run, an 18-yard run.

Sergio Serrano finished 7-of-15 for 105 yards and one touchdown for the Hornets (5-3, 4-2).

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