Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Devils Advance With Last Minute 27-26 Win

When the going got tough, Gurdon got going.

The Go-Devils faces heavy opposition and plenty of adversity Friday night when they hosted the Carlisle Bison at Gus Brown Stadium.

First, they started the game without the services of the team's leading rusher, who had been removed from the squad for disciplinary reasons.

Next, the opening kick was fumbled and recovered by Carlisle. Before the first quarter was over, Gurdon was on the short end of a 12-0 score. In fact, the team was on the wrong end of the score in three of the four quarters.

However, the word quit isn't in Gurdon's vocabulary, and the Devils fought hard to post a 27-26 win giving their fans several coronary incidents along the way.

The Devils, ranked second in AA schools statewide, now boast an 11-1 overall record and have a nine game winning streak.

Their next test will be against Harding Academy, a 5AA school from Searcy.

When the game began, the field was a muddy mess. It got worse as the contest went on.

Carlisle won the toss and deferred until the second half. The kick sailed to Josh Griffin at the 20.

He returned the ball to the 35, but had it stripped as he fought for more yards. A Bison fell on the loose ball at the Devil 37.

It took Carlisle nine plays and 4:18 to put the first points on the board.

Fullback Griffin Golleher carried the bulk of the load for the Bison, rushing five times on the drive.

First blood, though, was drawn when quarterback Adam Almond took the ball around right end on fourth down for the score.

A bad snap kept Carlisle from adding to its early score.

On the next kick, Griffin again fielded the ball, wrapped both arms around it and fought to the Devil 36.

Rashun Hopson took a pitch on a sweep to the Bison 25. Early on, it looked like the Devils would be evening the score quickly.

Four plays later, though, Gurdon turned the ball over on downs as the Bison defense stiffened.

Carlisle took over with 5:38 showing, and needed less than three minutes to go up 12- 0.

Matt Kelly moved the Bison to their 41, before Golleher added three to the 44. The third play saw Clem Cooney gain a yard.

On the fourth play of the drive, Almond, faked the fullback dive, kept around end and sprinted 55 yards for the score. The try for two failed, but Carlisle led 12-0 with 3:56 left in the opening period.

The Devils again got the ball in good field position, as Griffin returned the kick to the 36.

Brannon Hatley moved Gurdon into Bison territory on a sweep to the 47. The Devils moved methodically to the Carlisle 28 before giving the ball up again on downs.

Though the Devil defense had been rocked and was back on its heels, it stiffened and held Carlisle on three downs, forcing a punt.

The Gurdon offense wasted little time in getting on the board.

Starting at the Gurdon 44, Hopson gained a yard to the 45.

Eric Allen had no intention of a long, drawn out drive, and sprinted 55 yards for Gurdon's first touchdown of the night.

The Devils lined up for a conventional point after attempt, but the ball was snapped high to the holder, Colby Pace. He rolled and hit Chad Cox in the end zone, cutting the lead to 12-8 with 9:04 left in the first half.

Neither team was able to sustain a drive for the remainder of the period, as the muddy combatants fought between the 20s.

Late in the quarter, though, Gurdon was driving, having made it to the Carlisle 34. With 2:25 showing, Coach John Pace went to his bag of tricks.

Allen winged the ball to Demond Beasley at the Bison 24, Beasley lateraled it to Hopson, who dropped the ball.

This gave the ball to Carlisle on downs.

Period three began with Carlisle getting the ball and turning it over at its own 44, ending its opening drive.

Gurdon, however, returned the favor after driving to the Bison 27.

Carlisle moved from its 28, where the fumble was recovered, to the Gurdon 12 before turning the ball over on downs.

Hatley gave the Devils breathing room with a 12-yard romp to the 24. Allen then found Cox at the 31, with Cox leaping high into the air to bring the ball down.

One more play and Gurdon was in the promised land. Hatley broke free of containment on the third play and raced 69 yards for the touchdown and Gurdon's first lead of the game.

Griffin's kick split the upright and the Devils led 15-12.

Carlisle was flagged for roughing the kicker when Gurdon kicked off, letting the Devils kick from inside Bison territory.

Kelly fielded the kick at the five, returning it to the 18 where the Bison set up offensive shop with 3:07 in the half.

It took Carlisle's offense five plays to cap the 82-yard scoring drive, which ended with Almond again keeping around right for a 63-yard run.

The two-point conversion was successful and Carlisle retook the lead at 20-15, the score when the buzzer sounded ending the third period.

Gurdon, though, was in possession at its 41 with a second and nine to start the final 12 minutes. Two plays gained nothing and the Devils had to punt.

The ball rolled to the Bison 19 where Gurdon heroics were soon to begin.

Gurdon's defense again stiffened and held Carlisle to eight yards on three plays.

With a fourth and two situation on their own 27 and 8:52 left in the contest, Carlisle elected to punt.

Beasley removed his Devil uniform, revealing a superhero outfit and he broke through the line, blocked the punt, picked up the loose ball and ran in for the touchdown to give Gurdon a 21- 20 lead.

Gurdon's try for two failed, but the Devils had a slim lead.

It was a short-lived lead as the Bison stormed back.

Cooney fielded the kick at the Bison 22, returning it to the 39.

Golleher bulled to the 48 on first down, with Almond adding three to Gurdon's 49 on second down.

Golleher rambled to the Devil 17 to set up Carlisle's final score.

The officials tossed a flag, but gave Gurdon's players on the sideline a warning for being too close to the field of play. In their defense, the line was obscured by the muddy conditions and it was nearly impossible to see it.

Still, the players moved back to keep from getting called for unsportsmanlike conduct, or having too many players on the field.

Carlisle, though, was only concerned with getting in the end zone. From the 17, it took three plays before Almond scored his fourth touchdown of the night.

The try for two was no good, and the Bison held a 26-21 lead with 5:40 left in the season for one of the two teams.

Carlisle's kicker made sure the ball was kicked to Griffin each and every time the Bison kicked off. Griffin took the ball at the 13, moving it to the 28 where Gurdon's final offensive