Montesano remained unbeaten after a dominant 35-7 victory over Castle Rock in a rare Thursday game at Castle Rock High School.

The Bulldogs (4-0 overall) did what they have done all season long, used an efficient offense and stout defense to put Castle Rock (1-3) in a first-half hole it would never dig out of.

Montesano opened the scoring in the first quarter when standout senior running back Gabe Bodwell scored on a 20-yard run.

In the second quarter, Montesano would put the game away, scoring 21 points to go up by three scores.

Bodwell scored his second rushing touchdown of the game on a 6-yard run early in the quarter followed by his third of the game on a 1-yard plunge with 2:28 to go in the half.

Montesano sophomore defensive back Toren Crites got the ball back for the Bulldogs with an interception of a Castle Rock quarterback Trevor Rogen pass. The Bulldogs cashed in the turnover when sophomore quarterback Tyson Perry – playing in place of injured starter Jaxson Wilson – avoided a sack and hit receiver Tucker Eaton for a 22-yard TD pass with 14 ticks left on the clock, giving Monte a 28-0 halftime lead.

PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Montesano defensive back Toren Crites (12) returns an interception late in the first half during the Bulldogs’ 35-7 win on Thursday at Castle Rock High School.

Perry would put Monte up 35-0 on a 1-yard run with just over eight minutes left in the third quarter.

Castle Rock would break the shutout bid when Rogen hit receiver Thatcher Heller with a 9-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

Bodwell had another big game, rushing for 193 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries.

Perry had a solid debut taking over for Wilson, who broke his collarbone in last week’s victory over Columbia (White Salmon). Perry went 11-for-22 passing for 122 yards with no interceptions, helping guide the Bulldogs offense to 352 total yards.

“Tyson did a good job,” Montesano head coach Terry Jensen said. “He made some mistakes, which we expected, but he kept his poise in there. … He’s got things to work on, like we all do, but he did a good job of commanding the offense. … We’re proud of his performance.”

Montesano’s defense was also stellar. The Bulldogs held the Rockets to 174 total yards, 86 of those on the ground. Monte’s defense allowed just 25 rushing yards through the first three quarters of the game.

“Defensively, we were outstanding in the first half,” Jensen said. “It was a really good first half for us. We hit on all cylinders on offense and on defense.”

PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Montesano linebackers Peyton Damasiewicz (52) and Felix Romero (15) clamp down on Castle Rock running back Ian Burton during the Bulldogs’ 35-7 win on Thursday at Castle Rock High School.

The game was moved up a day due to a potential shortage of referees, so the Bulldogs – already dealing with getting a new starting quarterback ready to go – agreed to play on Thursday.

“We’re happy with the win,” Jensen said. “On a short week when you only have four days to prepare and you have to put in a new quarterback, I thought our kids adjusted well to the short week and playing on a Thursday night.”

After playing the last three games on the road, Montesano’s next three games are scheduled at home.

The Bulldogs host Shelton in their last non-league matchup of the season at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Montesano 7 21 7 0 – 35

Castle Rock 0 0 0 7 – 7

Scoring

First quarter

M – Bodwell 20 run (Romero kick), 9:17

Second quarter

M – Bodwell 6 run (Romero kick), 8:41

M – Bodwell 1 run (Romero kick), 2:28

M – Eaton 22 pass from Perry (Romero kick), 0:14

Third quarter

M – Perry 1 run (Romero kick), 8:03

Fourth quarter

CR – Heller 9 pass from Rogen (Wallace kick), 9:28

Passing leaders: M – Perry 11-22-0-122.

Rushing leaders: M – Bodwell 21-194, Poler 2-17, Eaton 2-1, T. Crites 1-7, Gunter 4-20, Pyhala 2-1.

Receiving leaders: M – Rasmussen 4-47, Poler 4-20, Eaton 1-22, Bodwell 1-13.