Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Devils bounce back, skin Gators 36-3

Gurdon (7-2, 5-2) got back on track Friday night with a 36-3 victory at Foreman.

The Go-Devils who were reeling after two straight poundings did some pounding of their own.

Gurdon rushed for more than 200 yards in the first half and more than 300 in the game.

An early mistake put Foreman on top. After forcing a punt on the first drive of the game, Gurdon dropped a punt for the third straight week. The fumble was recovered by Foreman at the Gurdon 35.

The Gators would move the ball to the 10 where they would be forced to

kick a field goal. Rodney Long's 27 yard attempt was perfect and Foreman led Gurdon 3-0 early in the first quarter.

The lead did not last long. On the ensuing kickoff Davion Williams made a triumphant return from his injury with a 90 yard touchdown return.

The extra point failed, but Gurdon led 6-3.

The Gators tried to get something going on offense. After a 25-yard pass from senior quarterback Michael Woods to wide receiver Rodney Long, Foreman found themselves in Gurdon territory. The Gators would only gain four yards on their next three running plays. Foreman attempted to convert on fourth down, but Woods' pass was intercepted by Barry Nolan.

Gurdon would run the ball 10 times and use more than five minutes of clock en route to their next score.

Cevin Laster and K.P. Meeks swapped runs until Laster found the end zone from 11 yards out. Jake Plyler's pass to Meeks for the conversion try was good and Gurdon jumped on top 14-3.

With just over seven minutes remaining in the half, the Gators fumbled the ball near midfield and Gurdon recovered.

Meeks and Laster carried the load and the football until Laster scored

his second touchdown of the evening. The Go-Devils attempted the point after attempt, but a high snap forced Barry Nolan to scramble to the right sideline. Uthel Gatlin released to the back corner of the end zone where Nolan found him for another two points. Gurdon expanded the lead 22-3.

The Devil defense stepped up again on the Gator's next drive. Barry Nolan intercepted a Woods' pass for the second time.

The Devils decided to get Davion Williams in the game through a little trickery. Williams took the handoff on a reverse and sprinted down the left sideline for 32 yards. Laster took over from there, with a 27-yard touchdown run. After the two point pass from Plyler to Meeks, Gurdon led 30-3.

Gurdon would take that lead to the half.

The Gators laid down in the second half, not throwing a pass.

The Go-Devils put two running backs out of the game in the third quarter, and Foreman was forced to put an offensive lineman at running back.

The Go-Devils scored one more time before time expired with a 26-yard run from John Watson, who took most of the handoffs in the fourth quarter.

In the early going, it seemed that the same mistakes might hurt the Devils again. The dropped punt resulted in three points, but Gurdon responded by scoring 36 unanswered.

"We were faced with a little adversity, something we had to fight through," said Gurdon head coach, John Pace. "I'm glad we didn't lay down."

This team resembles the Go-Devil team Gurdon fans saw in the first six games of the season.

The Devil defense allowed only 141 yards of total offense, while posting 338 yards in rushing alone.

The team also had Davion Williams back, who missed most of the last two games because of a hamstring injury.

"The whole team is more confident when he is out there," said Pace.

Williams returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and gained big yardage on a wide receiver reverse.

The playoff scenario that will likely play out is a third place finish for the Devils.

Finishing third would probably mean Gurdon would travel to Mount Ida in the first round of the playoffs.

"We want to be 8-2 going into the playoffs," Pace told his team.

Being 8-2 is important because Gurdon could still finish second. With Mineral Springs defeating Dierks Friday night, the Outlaws also have two losses in the conference. Dierks holds the tie-breaker over Gurdon because of the head to head victory. If Foreman can pull off an upset next week against Dierks and Gurdon defeats Stamps, Gurdon would finish second and host a playoff game. Bauxite or Mountain Pine would be the likely opponent.

For Gurdon to worry about a possibility of a second place finish, they have to beat Stamps this Friday.

"Stamps is an improved team from last year," Pace said. "We better be ready to play."