Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Devils gun down Outlaws, 32-12

Gurdon added another important conference victory Oct. 24 when they traveled to Dierks and beat the Outlaws 32-12.

The Go-Devils received the opening kickoff and started at the Gurdon 32.

They tried running the ball with Jamelle Lacy and Hunter Johnson, but only picked up three yards. Senior quarterback Barry Nolan went to the air, but was sacked and the Devils were forced to punt.

The punt was short and Dierks took over in Go-Devil territory.

Tailback Brandon Manasco tried to get the ball moving, but the Devil's defense only allowed seven yards on three carries. The Outlaws completed a pass on fourth down, but came up short and gave the ball to Gurdon on downs.

Dierks shut down Gurdon's run on two downs and a complete pass from Nolan to Davion Williams lost a yard, so Gurdon had to punt again.

This time the punt sailed to the Outlaw 20 where it was downed.

Dierks started a passing game on the next drive that the Outlaws continued to use for most of the game.

Quarterback Ben McLaughlin set up in the shotgun with three receivers lined up to the right. Gurdon pressured McLaughlin to throw incomplete passes on three straight downs, but on the third a flag was thrown for a questionable pass interference penalty when the receiver tripped. That penalty put Dierks on the 36.

An illegal procedure call against the Outlaws moved them back five though. The Outlaws came out passing again and McLaughlin hit Lance Stone for a 15-yard gain. He tried to find Stone again, but was unsuccessful.

He did, though, find Jordan Watson for three yards and then threw another incomplete pass and the Outlaws were forced to punt.

The punt rolled out of bounds at the Gurdon 12.

Lacy got the carry on first down and picked up nine. Hunter Johnson gained three for a first down. Nolan's pass was incomplete, before Lacy gained two on the following play. On third and eight the snap was fumbled and though Gurdon recovered, they were forced to punt.

Punter T.J. Morgan booted the ball to the Dierks 45 were it was downed.

Dierks came out running on this series.

Manasco took the ball seven yards and then Watson added five. Manasco took a sweep on the next two plays and gained eight yards. An offsides call against the Devils added five more.

Stone took the ball for four yards and Watson added a yard to end the first quarter with the scoreboard showing zeros on both sides.

The Outlaws completed a short pass to start the second quarter but were a yard shy of the first down. They successfully picked up that yard on fourth down to keep the drive going.

McLaughlin hit Stone for five yards and Lacy laid a heavy hit on the receiver. Lacy, however injured his shoulder on the play and was taken out for the rest of the game.

An illegal shift call moved Dierks back five yards, which was followed by a pair of incomplete passes on the next two plays.

The Outlaws attempted an unsuccessful field goal on fourth down.

Williams filled in for Lacy at tailback and lost a yard on his first run, making Devil fans worry about the possibility of a long night ahead of them.

On the next play, however, Williams put all the worries to rest as he shot through the line and ran 80 yards for a Go-Devil touchdown. The extra point sailed through the uprights making the score 7-0.

On the ensuing kick Watson received the ball and tried to hand it to Mason Greene, who fumbled and could only make it to his own 20.

With Dierks backed up in their own territory, Gurdon's defense put the pressure on. Manasco only gained a yard on the first down. McLaughlin completed to Stone, but Barry Nolan was there for the tackle with good coverage that continued throughout the night. An incomplete pass ended the drive and Dierks punted the ball away.

Gurdon took over on its 34 where Hunter Johnson ran for three yards on the first two downs. Nolan scrambled around in the backfield until he found Kenneth Harper for the first down. Williams picked up five and Nolan kept for four to bring up third and one. Hunter Johnson picked up the first down, but Dierks started to step up the pressure.

The Outlaws rushed Nolan, who took the ball for a gain of three when it looked like he would be sacked.

The Outlaw defense then dropped Williams in the backfield for a loss of four, and on the following play sacked Nolan for a huge loss of 11 yards, forcing Gurdon to punt.

The Go-Devils returned the favor on defense causing Dierks to go three and out on three straight incomplete passes.