MELBOURNE

On a map, Melbourne and Eau Gallie are pretty close. But on Friday night? Not so much.

In a district matchup, the Bulldogs dominated Eau Gallie, winning 28-0 and extending their winning streak over their neighborhood rivals to five.

Playing their final game of the season, the Commodores got off to a rough start when, on their second play from scrimmage, Melbourne linebacker Cole Schmelzer recovered a fumble in the end zone to give the Bulldogs an early 7-0 lead.

Melbourne’s Bryson Hill then scored on an 11-yard run on the Bulldogs’ next drive to give his team a 14-0 lead halfway through the first quarter.

Things slowed down during the second and third quarters but picked up again in the fourth as Hill scored twice: first on an 14-yard run and then on an 8-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Parker Kempfer.

Eau Gallie threatened to score late, but quarterback Torrance Brown got picked off in the end zone to end the threat and ensure a shutout for the Melbourne defense.

KEY PLAYERS: Hill finished the game with a game-high 88 yards on just nine carries. He also was the only Bulldog to catch a pass, hauling in two for 11 yards.

Meanwhile, the Melbourne defense forced four turnovers and held the Commodores to only 144 yards of total offense.

THEY SAID IT: “Bryson Hill is one of the toughest kids I’ve ever been around; the kid’s hurt every other week, just gets the stuffing knocked out of him,” said Melbourne head coach Todd Wilson. “But he’s a tough kid and he just keeps working.”

WHAT’S NEXT: Melbourne at Merritt Island on Friday. Eau Gallie’s season is over.

RECORDS: Melbourne 5-4 (1-3); Eau Gallie 2-7 (0-4).