Head coach James Peterson and his Turlock Bulldogs felt like it was their time on Friday when they traveled to Tracy High to take on the other Bulldogs in a rematch of not only last year’s first round playoff contest but their preseason matchup.

To say the ball bounced Tracy’s way in both of last year’s wins would be an understatement, especially after Turlock lost by a combined four points in both contests. Turlock knew minor mistakes could not be made again if they wanted a different outcome.

Anchored by a tough defensive unit and a strong line, Turlock took control of the game as they torched Tracy from the onset causing four sacks, two interceptions, seven tackles for loss, pushing down on the throttle and never letting go.

Turlock managed to score four unanswered touchdowns in the first two quarters and the defense forced four turnover on downs inside the red zone, clinching a 27-0 victory.

“We had to get that victory, it was must win. I think the team agreed with me and came out and performed well,” said Peterson. “I think we were due.”

After the win, Turlock is now 13-6 all-time against Tracy, and is now three victories away from claiming the school's 500th career win.

Quarterback Peyton Dunseth scored the game’s first touchdown on a one-yard run with 8:22 left in the first quarter.

Two minutes later, Danny Velasquez scored Turlock’s second touchdown on a five-yard run which was followed by back-to-back Dunseth strikes to the end zone, first, to Dustin Grein from 27-yards out and then to Mustafa Johnson for 19 yards out.

Turlock, with a 27 point lead, held on with their shut down defense and secured the team’s third win in four games.

“In all phases we outperformed them, offense defense and special teams. Special teams was great since we minimized mistakes and had great field possession all game long,” said Peterson.

In all three wins, Turlock allowed an average of 9.3 points per game, while amassing an average of 41.6.

According to Maxpreps.com, after the win, Turlock is currently ranked 85th in the state.

“Our kids' desire to play and win was there; they showed lots of toughness there till the end,” said Peterson.

Turlock’s next game will be the first league contest of the season, against Golden Valley at home at 7 p.m. Oct. 9.