Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Devils Fell Dierks 42-8 (cont)

d play of the drive.

Hatley moved it two yards closer before Allen went in from the 17. The PAT was blocked, but Gurdon led 36-8.

The kick went out of bounds, but Dierks took the ball at the 35.

Allen managed to get the ball to the 41 before coughing it up with Gurdon recovering the fumble at the Devil 49.

Gurdon ran two plays, moving to the Outlaw 30 before time expired in the third quarter.

The fourth period opened with Dierks flagged for being offside and moving the ball to the Outlaw 25.

Five plays later, Allen went in from 11 yards out with 8:13 left in the game. However, a flag nullified the score as the zebras called Gurdon for holding.

This moved the ball back to the 22. Gurdon needed three more plays before Hatley scored from the 1 with no flags.

The PAT was wide left, but Gurdon was fully in control with a 42-8 score and 6:53 showing on the clock.

Dierks did little with the ball, in spite of Gurdon being flagged for illegal participation and the ball moved 15 yards to the Gurdon 48.

On fourth down, as the Devil defense shut the gates on the offense, the Outlaws lined up in punt formation, but Kirby's pass wound up in the hands of Gurdon's Dennis Brown, who scampered down the field to paydirt.

Of course the score didn't count as Gurdon was called for clipping on the play.

Coach John Pace substituted freely, letting the younger players gain some valuable experience for the future.

The subs didn't go unrecognized by the officials as they were nailed twice for illegal motion. These penalties forced Gurdon's final punt, which was fair caught at the Dierks 37 with 2:34 left in the game.

The Outlaw offense ran three plays, losing five yards before simply letting time run out in the game and taking their 42-8 beating.

This puts the Devils in good shape for a run at the conference crown as they are tied with Murfreesboro and Horatio with 2-0 league records.

Foreman and Stamps are currently tied for fourth with 1-1 marks, with Mineral Springs sixth at 1-2. Dierks is 0-2, with Lewisville dragging up the rear with an 0-3 conference record.

Unofficial stats show Gurdon being dominant during the game. The Devils ran 47 offensive plays, with Dierks running 38.

The Devils gained 278 yards on the ground, while allowing 68.

Gurdon was seven of 10 in passing for 98 yards, while Dierks was four of 10 for 31 yards and suffered two interceptions.

This gave the Devils a total of 376 offensive yards, while the defense gave up 99.

Both teams punted four times, with Gurdon's going for 148 yards and a minus three return. The Outlaws four boots went for 134 yards and no return.

Penalties were primarily called against Gurdon as the Devils were flagged 13 times for 94 yards. Dierks was flagged three times for 15 yards.

Gurdon fumbled three times, but recovered all three. Dierks put the ball down twice and lost it once.

The Devils racked up 18 first downs, while the defense allowed but eight.

With Dierks keying on Charles, Gurdon relied on the running of Hatley, who carried the ball 15 times for 146 yards. Charles gained 62 yards on 10 carries to show the Outlaws he couldn't be contained by them.

Meeks carried four times for 31 yards, with Allen running three times for 23. Hopson had three carries for 10 yards. Joe Plyler and Oliver Webster each carried once for three yards apiece.

In all, the Devils rushed the ball 37 times for 278 yards. Dierks rushed 28 times for its 68.

Looking at the overall records of teams in the 7AA West, Gurdon and Murfreesboro have identical 4-1 marks, while Horatio is at 3-2, as is Foreman. Mineral Springs has a 1-3 record, while Dierks is 1-2-1. Lewisville is winless at 0-5.

Other games Friday night involving league teams showed, Horatio getting the night off with a 43-6 win over Lewisville; Murfreesboro clipped Mineral Springs 22-7 and Stamps edged Foreman 27-22.

This week, Dierks will likely be whipped by the Rattlers, while Foreman will entertain Lewisville. Mineral Springs travels to Horatio, with Gurdon set to host Stamps. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Gus Brown Stadium.