Sept. 9, 2013
|
Sand Rock holds off Gaston, 21-14 By SCOTT WRIGHT SHINBONE RIDGE – Sand Rock held off a second quarter comeback by the host Gaston Bulldogs to post a 21-14 win in Class 2A Region 7 action Friday night. Rusty Jacoway's Wildcats came out of the locker room throwing the football. Quarterback Dylan Mackey was 3-for-3 on the game's opening drive for 48 yards including a 25-yarder to Zane Farrar. Junior running back Austin Chambers ended the drive with a four-yard scamper into the end zone. The score was 6-0 after a failed point-after try. After swapping punts with the Bulldogs, Sand Rock took to the air again to extend the lead. Mackey completed passes to a trio of receivers for 41 yards before Chandler Mackey rushed across the goal line from four yards out. Mackey's pass to Chase Garrett for the conversion made the score 14-0 Wildcats with just under 9 minutes left in the first half. The Bulldogs growled all the way through the rest of the half, mostly by grinding down the field on the running of senior running back Jeffrey Collins. Shai Ogles, whose 52-yard reception helped Gaston into the red zone, ran in from five yards to close the score to 14-7 with 5:08 left in the half. After the Bulldog defense held Sand Rock, a 41-yard run by Gaston’s Jailyn Britton helped set up the tying score. Jordan Douglas passed to Ogles from the 10-yard line with 34 seconds left in the half. After the game, Jacoway said he knew at halftime that his team's initial reaction to Gaston's first half comeback would decide the outcome. “This bunch beat us by two touchdowns in the spring and I knew they had a lot of talent,” Jacoway said. “It would have been easy to lay down at the half after they came back and scored two touchdowns. Our team is resolved to win.” Austin Chambers ran for the Wildcats' final score with 7:18 left in the third quarter. He finished with 79 yards rushing. No one on the Sand Rock sideline napped in the second half. The Wildcat defense stiffened, holding Gaston out of the end zone in the second half, including a goal line stand in the final quarter after the Bulldogs drove from their own 25-yard line to the Sand Rock 5 and set up to try and tie the game. A series of penalties on Gaston moved the ball back to the 8-yard line. On fourth down, Douglas was sacked junior Ryon Gibson. The Wildcats tried to drain the game clock, but Gaston held and had one last shot at the end zone with 4 minutes remaining. After a long pass from Douglas to his brother, Albert Douglas, Gaston reached the 30-yard line. But Douglas threw incomplete on four tries and Gaston turned the ball over with 52 seconds remaining. Sand Rock (2-0, 1-0)) hosts North Sand Mountain Friday night for homecoming. Gaston travels to Section. |