Safford can breathe a sigh of relief for now. The Bulldogs got their first win of the season Friday night at home against Willcox and jettisoned a monkey from their back in the process.

Safford (1-2) cut down on its penalties and established the running game early and often against the Cowboys (1-2) in a 34-6 victory.

Senior quarterback Justin Smith left several defenders in his wake and blazed down the sideline for a 73-yard touchdown run halfway through the first quarter, and it set the tone for the Bulldogs’ rushing attack.

Jeremy Fielder changes direction on a run during Friday's game versus Willcox at Safford High School. The senior running back had 97 yards and a touchdown for the Bulldogs in a 34-6 win. Photo by Brian Wright

Junior Stephen Walden drilled two field goals (25 and 28 yards) in the second quarter, and Safford took a 13-6 lead into halftime.

The Bulldogs’ execution coming out of the locker room in the second half was significantly improved. The offensive line opened some holes for Smith and senior running back Jeremy Fielder, and Safford racked up 240 total yards on the ground.

Smith got loose again early in the third quarter on an option keeper and ran 50 yards for a score. The Willcox defense wasn’t even in the same area code as Smith on the play.

Fielder added a 20-yard touchdown run up the gut of the Cowboys’ defense at the start of the fourth quarter, and Smith hit a wide-open Justen John with a 52-yard touchdown strike with just under six minutes remaining.

Safford’s previous game against Thatcher had been marred by numerous penalties and bad execution. Bulldogs head coach Chenelle Jones wanted to make sure that didn’t happen again.

“What we did Monday was we just went back to the basics of how we line up; how we do things to minimize penalties; what is our cadence on; what we are trying to do,” he said.

Jones said his players were “feeling their way” through the first half.

“I went in at halftime, and I told them, ‘We’re a good team. Let’s play like a good team. Our community is still supporting us. Let’s show them what you know, and stop doubting yourself,’” Jones said.

The Safford defense stepped up and completely shut down the Cowboys. Willcox gained just 86 total yards (54 rushing and 32 passing). The Bulldogs also picked off Willcox quarterback Shelby Bonner twice.

One thing the Safford offense didn’t have in the first two games was balance. On Friday, the Bulldogs made some plays through the air to complement the running game.

“The biggest positive I saw today was we ran the ball like we did last week, and at the same time, we were able to make the catches that we were missing last week,” Jones said.

The Bulldogs still had a few dropped passes, but not nearly as many as the first two weeks.

Smith completed 6-11 passes for 118 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries.

“He’s becoming a very accurate passer,” Jones said of Smith. “Tonight, he didn’t have any passes flying all over the place. He was pretty much hitting them exactly where they were supposed to be.”

Fielder was a big part of the rushing attack with 97 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. John finished with three catches for 80 yards and a score.

Safford has its conference opener on the road Sept. 19 at Fountain Hills (1-2).