Turn the ball over just once against any football team and you place your back against the wall.
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Turn the ball over just once against any football team and you place your back against the wall. Turn it over several times against a very good team and your chances of coming away with a victory shrink to zero.
Gallatin piled up nearly 340 yards in total offense in Friday’s 48-7 loss to state-ranked Princeton, but couldn’t overcome 6 turnovers–4 by way of the air and 2 on the ground. The Bulldogs moved the ball against the Tigers better than any team had all season long, but they watched in frustration as the run-happy Tigers made the most of their many scoring opportunities.
Bulldog quarterback Duke Burge completed 20 of 37 passes for 223 yards. Kyle Hefley caught 10 balls for 98 yards. Colby Swanstone made 9 grabs for 114 yards. Fullback Tyler Nichols gained 83 yards on 14 carries. Halfback Zac Bradley added 33 yards in 7 carries. Gallatin threatened the Tiger end zone several times in the contest but could not score after the opening quarter.
“Our goal going in was to loosen them up and back them off the line of scrimmage,” said GHS head coach Mark Cole. “That’s what we did. We were working toward a balance between our running and passing game,” he added. “The turnovers hurt because they came while we were working toward getting the ball into the end zone.”
A pass interception on the second play of the game set up Princeton’s first score, an 18-yard run by Nathan Craft. Gallatin tied the game at 7-7 late in the 1st quarter when Burge hit Hefley on a quick, 2-yard connection. The Bulldogs needed just 5 plays to go 45 yards to the end zone.
A second interception deep in Tiger territory set the stage for another Tiger TD. Craft took the first handoff after the turnover and rambled 51 yards down the sideline for the go-ahead score. Princeton tacked on another touchdown before intermission when quarterback John Goodin capped a 65-yard drive with a 2-yard plunge. The Bulldogs had an opportunity to choke off the drive early but, on 3rd and 11, Goodin scampered out of a collapsing pocket to pick up a first down by the nose of the football.
A Brandon Parsons pass interception in the end zone with 36 seconds remaining in the half squashed another Gallatin scoring opportunity after the Dogs had marched nearly 75 yards out of the shadow of their own goal post. Gallatin’s failed opportunity came at a time when the offense was beginning to unlimber. During the drive, Burge completed two passes each to Swanstone and Hefley. Nichols gained 17 yards on a single carry to the 5-yard line.
The Bulldogs fumbled away their opening possession of the 3rd quarter and Princeton responded with a 7-play scoring drive highlighted by Craft’s 45-yard run. Nichols returned the ensuing kickoff 31 yards to set Gallatin up with good field position, but 6 plays later Burge was intercepted again by Tyler Roberts on the Tiger 8-yard line. A 49-yard run by Brett Cavanah and 20-yard dash by Parsons acted as the prelude to Cavanah’s 5-yard scoring plunge off tackle.
Gallatin’s initial drive of the 4th quarter bogged down on the Tiger 37. Cavanah rolled for 45 yards to the Bulldog 18 and 3 plays later Parsons carried into the end zone to up the score to 42-7 following the PAT. Nichols brought the succeeding kickoff back 37 yards to the Tiger 36 but fumbled to Parsons, who scooped up the ball and outran pursuit to the end zone. Sean Wood blocked the Tiger extra point attempt and the scoreboard carried the final message of a 48-7 Tiger win.
Looking to even the slate
Gallatin will try to even its record at 5-5 this Friday when the Bulldogs host the 3-6 Milan Wildcats, who have won 2 of their last 3 contests. Milan jumped out to a 13-0 lead over Braymer last Friday, but fell behind in the 2nd half, 22-13. Braymer, leading 30-26 in the 4th quarter and thirsting for a 13-point win, gambled and failed on 4th and 6 near midfield. Milan recovered the Bobcat fumble and scored the winning touchdown with less than a minute to play.
Senior halfback Josh McCabe is the Wildcat’s leading scorer and rusher, with over 600 yards. Senior quarterback Darren Gregson has thrown for over 600 yards and a half dozen Tds. Favorite targets are junior tight end Dirk vanIngen and junior runningback Josh VanDusseldorp.
“We’ll see some off-tackle power, misdirection and quarterback bootleg,” said Gallatin’s Coach Cole, “and they’ll come at us with a lot of different formations,” he added. “They don’t throw the ball very often but they will run play-action and try to slip somebody behind you.”
Princeton captured the district title by virtue of its victory over Gallatin. The Bulldogs will face the winner of District 16. The Tigers will face the winner of this Friday’s showdown between Knox County and Scotland County in next Wednesday night’s sectional round. That game will be played in Princeton.