Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Gurdon in playoffs part 2

A lateral by Pettigrew wound up on the ground on third down, with Kelvin McPeak picking it up at the 22 and sprinting 78 yards for the touchdown.

Gurdon was unsuccessful in a two-point conversion, but the game was tied 6-6, with 47 seconds to go in the half.

The kick was returned from the one to the 36, with Pettigrew stopped for no game as the buzzer ended the first 24 minutes of play.

The Lions got the ball to start the second half, as the kick was returned to the 38.

However, Gurdon's defense was in no mood to let the Lions move the ball, as the drive stopped at the 44 when Pettigrew's pass was knocked down.

Before the punt occurred, Horatio was called for illegal participation, or too many men on the field. This moved the Lions to the 39 for the boot.

Laster took the kick at the Gurdon 33, returning it to the 39.

One play later, Fort was in the end zone, having rumbled 61 yards on a counter play.

With 10:13 to go in the third, Gurdon led 12-6. It was a lead the Devils never relinquished.

The two point conversion was successful this time, and the Devils held a 14-6 lead.

The Lions began offensively at their 33 after the kick.

Horatio managed to gain four yards in three plays and lined up to punt. The snap, though was too high for the punter and wound up on the turf, with Gurdon Plyler recovering the fumble at the Lion 20 with 8:11 showing.

The Devils needed three plays to put the game on ice. Meeks carried twice to the six, with the drive capped with Plyler scoring on the third play.

The try for two was no good, but Gurdon now led 20-6.

This proved to be too much for the Lions, as the home team lost heart  a fact noted by the Gurdon coaching staff on the sidelines.

This was all the Devils needed to know, as it was all Gurdon the remainder of the game.

Horatio began on its 26 after the kick and managed to move the ball to the Gurdon 45, with the aid of a five-yard penalty against the Gurdon coaches for crowding the sidelines.

There, though, the drive stalled and Horatio had to punt.

Marcell Johnson took the kick at the 19, fumbled the ball and fell on it at the 18.

The Devils began moving through the Horatio defense as if it weren't there, behind the running of Fort and Johnson, as Gurdon marched to the Lion 36 before Plyler was picked off at the 20.

The interception was returned to the 35 with 1:11 left in the third.

Horatio's offense wasn't on the field long, as Pettigrew's first-down pass was picked off by Davion Williams at the Lion 45 and returned to the 26.

Gurdon ran two plays, getting to the 26, before the period ended.

There was one more touchdown to be scored in the contest, and Gurdon scored it on the third play of the fourth quarter.

Meeks gained five on the first play of the period, with Fort fighting his way to the four. Meeks found a hole in the middle of the line for six to make it 26-6 Gurdon. The point after made it 27-6 with 11:19 left in Horatio's season.

The rest of the quarter was marred by penalties and turnovers, with neither team able to sustain a scoring drive.

To put the finishing touches on a horrendously called game, the Lions were flagged for a personal foul at the buzzer, ending the game the same way it began. Gurdon, though, declined to get the game over with.

The Devils dominated the statistics as well, with the exception of passing. Plyler was 0-4 with two interceptions, while Pettigrew hit three of seven for 35 yards and was picked off once.

Both teams punted three times in the game, Gurdon for 92 yards and Horatio for 106.

The two squads were almost even in penalties. Gurdon was flagged seven times for 55 yards, while the Lions were hit five times for 50 yards.

While Plyler remained untouched in the backfield, Pettigrew was sacked three times by Gurdon's defense.

The Lions fumbled three times in the game, losing all three. Gurdon put the ball on the ground twice, but recovered both fumbles.

The Devils held the edge in first downs, 13-12.

Gurdon's ground game provided all the yards the Devils earned, 204. Horatio's rushing game earned 117 yards.

This gave Gurdon the edge in total yardage 204-152.

Gurdon ran 41 offensive plays, to 49 by Horatio.

The Devils averaged 5.6 yards per carry, while holding the Lions to 2.8 yards per rushing attempt.

Meeks carried 11 times for Gurdon, gaining 34 yards.

Fort was the leading rusher, with 10 carries for 108 yards.

Plyler ran the ball three times for 17 yards, while Laster carried six times for nine yards.

Johnson ran seven times for 39 yards.

The Devils have their work cut out for them this Friday, as they travel to Hampton for round one of the state playoffs.

Hampton won the tough 7AA-East conference by whipping pre-season pick Junction City, along with posting wins over Rison and Smackover.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.