Dogs grab share of GRC lead on eve of Hornet game

The Gallatin Bulldogs washed away six years of frustration against South Harrison Friday night with a resounding 28-7 victory in a game with major Grand River Conference implications.

Gallatin, which beat Bethany for the first time since 1998, moved into a tie for the lead in conference standings with Princeton, a 33-13 winner over Maysville.

Gallatin took a 12-0 lead into halftime after holding South Harrison to three first downs and 54 yards total offense in the opening half. Quarterback Nic Burrell tossed a slant pass over the middle, and tight end Andrew Adkison did the rest by breaking four tackles on a 21-yard run to the end zone with three minutes left to play in the first quarter.

“Andrew really stepped up for us as a receiving threat,” Bulldog head coach Mark Cole commented. “He refused to be tackled on that touchdown run,” he added.

Mark Maillet spearheaded Gallatin’s next defensive series by sacking Bethany quarterback Matt Shipers, then recovering a fumble by halfback Logan Kelim forced by linebacker Derrick Love. Gallatin drove the ball to the SH two-yard line, but Bethany held when Burrell was jammed one yard short of the end zone on fourth and goal.

A Brett Wilkinson interception set up Gallatin’s second scoring drive covering nine plays and 56 yards and culminating in Wilkinson’s 17-yard run on a tight end reverse. A Burrell to Adkison completion of 42 yards took the ball into the red zone for the Bulldogs. Burrell hit Dillon Bird with a pass on the two-point conversion attempt but he was tackled just short of the goal line.

Gallatin’s defense rose to the occasion again after South Harrison crossed midfield on the opening drive of the third period. Zach Gutzmer and Clayton Baker combined to sack Shipers for a seven-yard loss, and on third and long, Burrell intercepted a halfback pass by Kelim.

“Nic was all over the field making plays,” Coach Cole said. “He led us with eleven tackles.”

Bethany disrupted Gallatin’s offense with linebacker blitzes for the remainder of the half, and called fullback Jeff Seeley’s number more often in an effort to get untracked offensively.

Aided by a pass interference penalty, Bethany put together a promising series late in the third quarter. The home team Bulldogs moved from their 15-yard line to the GHS 27 before hitting a wall. Burrell made a tackle three yards behind the line of scrimmage. Pressure from Gallatin’s front line forced a pair of incomplete passes. Shipers tried to force a pass to a receiver near the 10-yard line on fourth and 13. Given an opportunity to intercept the ball, cornerback Riley Rains chose wisely by knocking it to the ground.

Battling the clock as well, Bethany kept pounding away at Gallatin’s defense, until Daniel Horvatin recovered a SH fumble on the GHS 15-yard line. Enter Stephen Wood with the first of two game-icing runs.

“Stephen Wood has been one of our best backs, and in the second half made two of the most impressive runs I’ve seen,” said his coach. “He had an outstanding game.”

Bethany finally paid the price for blitzing linebackers when Wood took a handoff from Burrell, powered into the line, popped free from a mass of would-be tacklers and outran pursuit 84 yards to the end zone. Burrell scrambled for the two-point conversion and Gallatin led, 20-0.

South Harrison avoided the shutout with three minutes remaining. Shipers, coming off a sack and nine yard loss on the previous play, rolled right toward the SH sideline and connected with Danan Knott, who busted a seam behind the Gallatin secondary. The freshman receiver hit the end zone pylon just before getting blasted out of bounds by Wilkinson.

Barely a minute later, Wood galloped 56 yards for his second TD of the night. Burrell passed to Adkison for the successful conversion that pushed the final margin of victory to 28-7.

The Bulldogs welcomed back middle linebacker Justin Duffy, and he responded to his first game in a big way. Sidelined for two games and much of the preseason with a sore hamstring, Duffy registered eight tackles and three assists.

“It was a tremendous lift for us having him back,” said Coach Cole. “He’s the kind of kid you can depend on in any situation,” he added.

Decades-old rivalry renewed

Perseverance finally paid off Friday night for the Albany Warriors, who downed Hamilton, 7-6, for their first football victory since November of 2001. Playing their first game on the road this season, the Warriors snapped their 30-game losing skid at the expense of a Hornet team still struggling to get a win in 2005. Albany scored on a Travis Girratono run in the first quarter and added the PAT. Hamilton answered with a Ross Rosenbaum to Taylor Hibler scoring pass just before the break, but Andy Pratt’s extra point kick sailed wide.

As in years past, both Gallatin and Hamilton will disregard season records to date and look toward a rivalry that has produced many memorable games. The Bulldogs beat the Hornets, 21-14, a year ago in the closest contest since 1985, when Gallatin knocked off Hamilton, 7-6.

Since 1929, Hamilton has won 43 games in the series to Gallatin’s 31. There have been two scoreless ties, in 1932 and 1940. The two teams did not play in 1943 and 1944, due to sacrifices made toward the war effort.

Gallatin has won three of the last four meetings in Gallatin, but Hamilton defeated Gallatin, 28-0, on the GHS field in 2003. Hamilton won 15 games in a row from 1945 to 1959, but since then home field advantage has meant next to nothing. Since 1960, the Bulldogs have won 12 of 22 home games against the Hornets. The two teams have split 22 meetings at Hamilton since 1960.

Though sound defensively, the Hornets have thus far scored only three touchdowns in three games.

“They are a dangerous team, even at 0-3,” Coach Cole remarked. “They can come in here and take all sorts of chances and risks, and we’ve got to try and be ready for anything,” he adds. “Offensively, they are capable of lining up, grinding it out and keeping the ball out of our hands. They have been solid against the run, so we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

The 2005 Hornets are led on both sides of the ball by junior quarterback/linebacker Ross Rosenbaum (6-0, 195) and senior fullback/linebacker Geoffery Whitt (6-0, 188). Rosenbaum is a converted running back and Hornet head coach Dave Fairchild has thrown in some option plays to better utilize Rosenbaum in the running game. Whitt lined up at tight end a year ago, but his size and running savvy necessitated a move to the backfield. Seniors Eric Fairchild (6-2, 198) and Kevin Holt (6-2, 205) are returning linemen.