On the gridiron Friday night at Reid Stadium, the Rockdale Bulldogs played host to the Panthers of Langston Hughes for Rockdale's homecoming night, losing 28-0.

Still searching for their first win of the season, the Bulldogs found themselves with their backs against the wall early as Langston Hughes' offense took over in the second quarter.

Just two minutes into the second quarter, Panthers' junior quarterback Kenny Moxey found senior wide receiver Trevon Badger for an 11-yard touchdown pass that put the Panthers first points on the board.

Having already picked the Bulldogs defense apart once, Moxey struck again. This time he found senior receiver Kentavious Eberhart for a 20-yard touchdown connection.

The Bulldogs, despite the non-stop cheering from the crowd, couldn't find a way to translate that energy into their performance as their offense was held at a standstill for the entire first half.

"We have to get stronger up front with the offensive line," Rockdale's first-year coach Venson Elder said. "We have to be able to move people and we need to put points on the score board."

The Bulldogs defense was also in need of some of the homecoming spirit as they again fell victim to the Panthers' aerial assault for the third time with 4:23 left before halftime.

After crowning their homecoming king and queen, the Bulldogs hit the field with the same lackluster play they exhibited in the first half. Still not able to stop the Panthers pass attack, the Bulldogs gave up yet another score with 8:36 left in the third.

With the offense flat on its feet, everyone at Reid Stadium seemed disappointed with the Bulldogs lack of heart and commitment. Though the cheerleaders continued to cheer, with the hopes of rallying their team, they too realized that the game was too far out of reach as their cheers become few and far in between.

"We're at a point with these kids," Elder said, "They have got to get on one side or the other and hopefully they will decide if they want to play ball and if they really want to win some games and try to take advantage of the rest of the season.

With region play beginning next week for the Bulldogs, will look for a complete turnaround and whole-hearted effort in order to make the state playoffs.

Friday night marked the Bulldogs fourth loss for the season and 13th straight dating back to last year.

"These have been some hard losses," said Elder. "Some of the kids are playing hard and some of them are not. We got to get the whole team playing together. Those are the things we've been working on all season."

Rockdale begins region play as they host Morrow next Friday.