Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Devils now 6-0 on year after 33-0 victory Friday

Gurdon's defense has proven to be nothing less than devilish in its first six games.

Shutouts are beginning to be a way of life for the Go-Devils. Gurdon's defense proved itself again Friday night by holding the Horatio Lions scoreless on their home turf during senior night.

Regarding his defense, Head Coach John Pace said, "We have several kids who have played well and are seniors. If we keep going the direction we're in, we'll be fine."

The Devils (6-0, 4-0) defeated the Lions 33-0 with the same storyline seen in the previous five weeks: play great defense and run effectively.

The first half was filled with plenty of great defense, but whether the Devils ran effectively is open to debate.

Horatio only managed to squeak 36 total yards and two first downs in the first half.

Gurdon gave the Lions a chance to get on the scoreboard first through a Jake Plyler interception inside Gurdon territory.

Two plays later the Gurdon defense forced a turnover and K.P. Meeks of Gurdon recovered.

Gurdon's offense took a hit in the first defensive series. Starting quarterback, Jake Plyler, sprained his ankle while playing in the secondary. He did not return for the rest of the game. On the fourth offensive series, starting wide receiver, Davion Williams, reinjured his bad hamstring and did not return to the lineup.

The two teams swapped punts through most of the first quarter. That all changed when a shanked Horatio punt only traveled 14 yards to the Horatio 44.

Gurdon spent more than four minutes of game time and 10 plays before Cevin Laster found the end zone on a 10-yard rush. The extra point attempt was blocked and Gurdon led Horatio 6-0 with little more than a minute remaining in the first quarter.

Dorsey Kelley's kickoff sailed through the end zone and the Lions started their next possession from the Horatio 20.

The Gurdon defense stifled the Lion offense and forced a punt. The punt rolled to the Gurdon 30 where the Go-Devils would take over.

Backup quarterback Barry Nolan stepped in and threw an 11-yard strike for a third down conversion to keep the drive alive. Two plays later Laster broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and sprinted 56 yards for a Gurdon touchdown. The two point conversion attempt failed.

Gurdon found itself with one more opportunity to score before the half ended. A 29-yard run by Laster set up a first and goal chance from the Horatio seven. The Devils ran four consecutive running plays and did not find the end zone.

Gurdon led at halftime by a score of 12-0. Aside from the two long running plays from Laster, the Devils averaged just three yards a rush.

The Gurdon offense returned to form in the second half. Gurdon averaged more than five yards a carry in the final two quarters.

On Gurdon's first possession of the second half, Nolan found a streaking Cevin Laster down the sideline for a 54-yard touchdown pass. Nolan followed up with a successful two point conversion pass to Meeks.

Gurdon led 20-0 with just under seven minutes remaining in the third quarter.

The Gurdon defense forced another three and out. After the Horatio punt Gurdon took over at its own 38.

Meeks and Laster dominated the series with runs of eight, 14, 16, and 11. On third and goal from the Horatio one, Nolan took the snap and ducked behind his center for another rushing Go-Devil touchdown.

The two point conversion attempt was no good, and Gurdon led 26-0 early in the fourth quarter.

The Devil defense put the dagger in the heart of the Lions on the following Horatio possession. On second and long, Laster intercepted the pass from Horatio quarterback, Andrew Pettigrew, and returned it 34 yards for his fourth score of the night.

Nolan added the extra point to extend the Gurdon lead to 33-0.

Both teams would only be interested in running the clock the remainder of the game.

Gurdon's streak of consecutive 35-point-rule games has come to end but not the streak of completely shutting down opponents.

Gurdon's defense racked up its fourth shutout in the past five weeks, allowing only six points during that span.

Gurdon has scored 188 points over the past five games.

Gurdon's second half performance may have been inspired by head coach John Pace. "I challenged you at halftime to fight through adversity," he told his team. "We did that. We showed a lot of character when the chips were down."

The chips were dropping down almost has quickly as Gurdon skill position players in the first half. Williams could be out as long as a month, according to Pace.

The fate of starting quarterback Jake Plyler remains uncertain. "I know he expects to play next week," said assistant coach John Ware. "He's day to day. I would list him as questionable." Plyler had his ankle X-rayed on Monday.

Gurdon would like Plyler to be in the starting lineup next week against Mineral Springs.

Pace was pleased with the performance of backup Nolan, however. "Hats off to Nolan. He did a great job."

The importance of the Mineral Springs game is now clear. The winner of this football game is the clear frontrunner to win the conference.

A representative from Hooten's Arkansas Football said he believes the 7AA West could be determined by this game. "I think Gurdon will challenge Mineral Springs for the 7AA title. They have made great strides to win that conference."

Hooten's has Gurdon ranked seventh overall in the AA classification. Mineral Springs is ranked 10nth.

Pace gave a hint to the importance of the football game to his players after Friday night's win. "We know what we have in front of us next week. Let's enjoy the win this weekend, but let's start getting prepared on Monday."