SLOCOMB — The Pike County Bulldog offense exploded in the second half Friday night, scoring 26 second half points to help defeat the Slocomb Red Tops 36-8.

The Bulldogs (4-0, 3-0) looked a bit sluggish in the first half, but still managed to hold a 10- lead at the break. The Bulldog defense forced a turnover on just the second play from scrimmage in the third quarter, and Pike County never looked back.

“Obviously, we’re real excited,” said head coach Eddie Stephenson. “They responded very well in the second half.”

Stephenson said the slow start helped to show his team that there was work to be done.

“I thought we had a big problem win the first half on offense,” Stephenson said. “We’re a team that’s working to get better and sometimes you take steps back. We took some steps backward in the first half. But, they responded to what we told them at halftime and they came out and played how we expect them to play. I’m very, very proud of these guys.”

Most of PCHS’s points came in the third quarter, when Marquavous Knox ran for three touchdowns and the Bulldog defense forced two turnovers.

Knox started the third quarter explosion with a four-yard touchdown run before adding two more scores from 27 and 21 yards out.

Know finished the game with 116 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries. He also caught a 19-yard touchdown pass.

Also impressive was the Bulldog passing attack, as senior quarterback Josh Parker had touchdown passes of 19 and 43 yards.

“It felt good to be able to throw it a little bit,” Parker said. “Mainly, we’re a running team, so to be able to throw it down the field was a lot of fun.”

While Pike County may be known more for its rushing attack, Stephenson said he has plenty of confidence in his senior quarterback.

“We can throw the football,” Stephenson said. “We just choose not to. Our philosophy is to run the ball, control the clock and play defense. But, we can throw it if we have to. Josh Parker did a great job tonight and I’m very proud of the way he played.”

Parker finished the game 4-8 for 101 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bulldog defense was also out in full force yet again Friday, holding the Red Tops’ offense to just 99 total yards on the night.

Star Slocomb running back Scottie Burdeshaw had just 19 total yards, with all of those coming in the first half. The only Slocomb score came against the second-team Pike County defense.

“Our first-team defense pitched a shutout tonight,” Stephenson said. “Those guys really get after it and play hard. Coach Zeb Ellison continues to do a great job of preparing them each and every week. I’m especially proud of those guys on defense.”

With the win, Pike County remains undefeated, something Parker said will help the Bulldogs as they prepare for next week’s showdown with cross-county rival Goshen.

“I feel like this gives us great momentum,” Parker said.

“We’ve got to get ready for Goshen and with the score of that game being what it was last year, we want to have all the momentum we can to help us get ready for that game.”