A pressure kick and stout defense lifted the South East Valley Bulldogs to an 8-6 win Monday over the Stafford (Virginia) Falcons in the opening round of the AYF Jr. Midget National Championships in Orlando.

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Trystan Griffith's conversion kick after Blake Monty's 5-yard touchdown run with 8:09 left in the fourth quarter was the game-winner for the Bulldogs, who stifled the Falcons on defense after falling behind 6-0 just before the end of the first half.

“The heart this team showed was flat-out unbelievable,” coach Robert Riethmann said.

The coach said he was confident that Griffith and holder Daniel Hiser would team up for the game-winning kick into a strong wind.

“When their opportunity comes, they never miss,” Riethmann said. “I knew we had a good chance of the, coming through.”

After the game-winner, the Bulldogs surrendered just 19 yards on eight plays, snuffing out any hopes of a comeback by the Falcons. Gabriel Lopez recovered a fumble at the 6:02 mark, and Monty teamed with Griffith for a fourth-down sack with 2:18 left. The Bulldogs then ran out the clock, helped by a defensive holding penalty.

The Falcons marched 71 yards in nine plays early in the second quarter to take a 6-0 lead. The TD came when the quarterback dropped the snap but picked up the ball and threw an 11-yard TD pass.

Virginia went for a one-point conversion run and failed. That ultimately would be the decision that cost them the ballgame.

At this level, you've got to be able to kick it,” Riethmann said. “And they had the wind at their back.”

SEV fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Virginia ran eight plays before giving up the ball on downs. They gained just 15 yards as the Bulldogs stiffened on defense. The Falcons would gain just 53 yards in the second half.

The Bulldogs, on the other hand, dominated with a potent ground game. They ran the ball all but one play after intermission, gaining 86 yards and holding the ball for 13:50 of the 20-minute half.

“Running the ball has always been our bread and butter,” Riethmann said. “We knew we could depend on our running game.”

SEV also kept control of the ball. They did not have a turnover in the second half and recovered three Falcon fumbles. Taj Decarriere and Hunter Olson recovered Virginia fumbles in the third quarter.