It didn’t take Foster High quarterback Aaron Rodriguez to find a midseason groove.
In fact, Rodriguez found that groove in the season opener last Friday night, throwing for 258 yards and rushing for 32 more in leading the Bulldogs past Bremerton 20-18 in the nonleague opener for both teams.
When it was all said and done, Rodriguez connected for a pair of long touchdowns — the first an 82-yard strike to Gabe Gutierrez and the second a 77-yard bomb to Tuifua Tausinga — and also found pay dirt on the ground, rushing for a 1-yard score in the opening quarter.
Rodriguez’s first touchdown gave the Bulldogs an instant 7-0 lead in the first quarter. It was a lead that, while Bremerton would get close, Foster would not relinquish. The Knights responded midway through the first quarter with a score of their own, cutting the Foster lead to 7-6.
Rodriguez, as he did the entire night, quickly answered, finding Gutierrez on an 82-yard touchdown connection, pushing the Foster lead to 13-6. Bremerton cut the deficit to 13-12 before the half, but Rodriguez would again answer, this time by finding Tausinga with a 77-yard touchdown pass, giving Foster a 20-12 lead heading into the final quarter.
Foster was led on defense by Ian Buckmaster (15 tackles) and Delvin Brown (12 tackles).
Foster will try and continue the momentum when it plays host to Clover Park at 7 p.m. on Friday.
