Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Go-Devils Feast On Gators, 38-0 (cont)

rough and block the kick.

The loose ball was picked up and ran to the Devil 22 with 6:04 remaining in the game. For a time, it looked like the shutout would be a thing of the past.

Joe Baker bulled his way to the 10 on first down, setting the Gators up in great scoring position.

This, though, didn't set well with Gurdon defenders and the wrecking crew went to work.

Foreman managed to make it to the three, but could not punch it in on fourth down.

Gurdon took over with 3:24 left. On the outset, the Devils were flagged for illegal procedure and moved from the four to the two.

Myram Mitchell gave Gurdon some breathing room with a carry to the seven. Then the fireworks went off. Rashun Hopson took a handoff from Allen, went outside and the race was on.

It ended 93 yards later with him standing in the Gator promised land.

However, the Devils were flagged for procedure on the PAT try and moved back five yards. Still, Griffin got the ball between the goalposts and the Devils were in command 38-0.

The Gators were able to run four plays before time ran out.

A check of the unofficial stats shows Toland to be five of 13 for 94 yards in passing, with a touchdown. Foreman was one of five for no gain and had an interception.

The Devils were flagged eight times for 62 yards in losses, while Foreman saw seven pieces of laundry fall for 45 yards.

Gurdon punted four times for 118 yards, giving up seven return yards, while one boot was blocked. Foreman punted five times for 151 yards, but allowed 24 yards in returns.

The Devils had considerably more first downs than Foreman, 16-8. On the other hand, Foreman had more fumbles than Gurdon.

The Gators put the ball on the ground six times, losing it twice. Gurdon never fumbled.

The Devil ground assault punished the Foreman defense. Gurdon rushers carried 26 times for 280 yards. The Gator offense rushed 41 times for 136 yards.

The only area Foreman did better than Gurdon was in total plays. The Gators ran 46 plays while the Devils ran 39.

Still, the Devils amassed a total of 374 yards, while only giving up 136 on defense.

Charles carried the ball eight times for 71 yards, with Hughes adding a carry for 73 yards. Williams had three carries for 10 yards, with Mitchell also getting the call three times for 11 yards.

The leading rusher had but one carry, with Hopson gaining 93 yards. Griffin carried once for 18, while Toland toted the mail once for two yards. Gatlin's carry gained seven yards, while Allen carried once and lost four.

For the third week in a row, the Gurdon defense has pitched a shutout. The offense, meanwhile, has been racking up the points. In the three week period, the Devils have scored 106 points and are currently ranked 9th in class A schools.

Looking at how other teams in the 7A West fared Friday night, shows Mineral Springs demolished Dierks 46-8. Murfreesboro had its hands full with Horatio, but won 31-27. Stamps had an easy night with a 30-0 win over winless Lewisville.

The standings show Mineral Springs in first place with a 5-1 league record and a 6-1-1 mark overall. Gurdon is next at 4-1, 7-1. Then comes Murfreesboro at 4-1, 5-3, followed by Stamps, 3-2, 4-4; Horatio, 2-3, 3-5; Foreman, 2-3, 2-5, Dierks, 1-4, 2-6; and Lewisville, 0-6, 0-9.

The Hornets have scored 290 points during the season while giving up 130. Gurdon has put 195 points on the board, but only allowed 50. The Rattlers have a 174-121 showing, while the Yellow Jackets have played almost even at 173-172. The Lions have given up more than they've scored at 239-252, as has Foreman, 78-235. Dierks has also been on the short end of scoring, 103-219. But then again, so have the Red Devils, 68-244.

Even though the Devils are currently in second place, if they lose their next two games, they would have to turn their attention to basketball season as the top four teams in the league to the playoffs.

Gurdon has two tough games left to end the regular season, but also has reason to be fired up for both.

Friday night, the Devils host Murfreesboro at Gus Brown Field. Last season the Rattlers spanked Gurdon 42-0. To make matters worse, the Rattlers had a "cemetery" set up at one end zone showing their "victims," including Gurdon before the game was played.

This is incentive enough for the Devils, many of whom were thinking about the Rattlers during the late stages of the Foreman game.

While Gurdon will host Murfreesboro, Lewisville will travel to Dierks for the Red Devils' last chance at a win this season. Other games show Foreman at Horatio and Mineral Springs at Stamps.

The Devils could use some help and would be most grateful for it, if Stamps would be so kind as to whip the Hornets and the Gators would feast on Lion meat.

In the meantime, the Devils have a little cookout planned with Rattler meat as the main dish. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.