Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Go-Devils Blast Outlaws From Saddle

Gurdon's goose egg has been broken.

Statistically, the egg was shattered though the final score Friday, Oct. 4, was 14-12 against the Dierks Outlaws.

The Devils flat dominated the Outlaws, pounding them into submission in spite of some of the most questionable officiating ever seen in high school football.

Though the final score was 14-12, it shouldn't have been as close, and wouldn't have been if two Gurdon touchdowns hadn't been called back.

The officials made their presence known in the game as flags rained down on the Devils, 13 for 100 yards, while the home team was penalized four times for 30 yards.

In spite of the lopsided calls, the Devils gelled as a team for the first time this season and overcame all obstacles -- especially the Outlaws, who were caught, sentenced and hung by Gurdon's offense and defensive squads in spoiling homecoming festivities for Dierks.

The game opened with Dierks winning the toss and taking the ball at their own 33.

Richard Huddleston opened with a pass, which fell short. Chris Bruce gained one on second down before Huddleston met Joshua Thomas up close and personal for a loss of six, forcing the Outlaws to punt.

The boot was good, sailing to Gurdon's 33, where Thomas began to put on his offensive show for the night.

His first carry bulled to the 48 for a 15 yard gain with Outlaws hanging all over him. Then it was Chauncey Charles' turn to strut his stuff. He gained three on the first carry, with Thomas adding one to the 44 before the first of many flags fell on Gurdon.

The Devils were penalized for clipping, with the ball moved back to their 46.

Jared Toland showed what kind of arm he had as he connected with Kenny Hughes at the Outlaw 43 on third down. The Devils were short by a little more than a yard, with head coach John Pace deciding to go for it.

For one of the few times in the game, Thomas was stuffed as all 11 Outlaws met him at the line.

Taking over on downs, the Outlaws began marching toward Gurdon's promised land.

Huddleston raced to the Devil 35 on first down. The home squad moved the ball to the one before Josh Griffin stripped Huddleston of the ball on a quarterback keeper, turned upfield and sprinted 99 yards for what appeared to be the game's first score.

However, it turned out to be hankie time again as the play was called back. Gurdon, the officials said, had illegally used hands, though there were no players for either side in the area the flag was thrown.

This brought the ball back to the Gurdon 19, where the Devils started their 81 yard march toward their enemy's goal line.

Utilizing counter plays, sweeps and Thomas up the middle, as well as overcoming a motion penalty and recovering a loose ball, the Devils needed a total of eight plays and less than three minutes to push the ball in for their first score.

Kenny Hughes took the pigskin on a reverse from 23 yards out for the TD. The point after split the uprights giving Gurdon a 7-0 lead with 11:23 left in the half.

After the kick, the Outlaws did their little one-two-three-kick dance, returning the ball to the Devils on a 21 yard punt.

Gurdon, taking over on the Outlaw 41, wasted little time in punching in their second score. C. Charles took a pitch to the 40 before Toland hooked up with Eric Hatley on a 40-yard touchdown bomb. Again the PAT was good and Gurdon led 14-0.

For the remainder of the half, both teams played between the 20's, as good defensive plays and penalties kept either from scoring.

However, the Devils took control of the ball with 1:14 left at their own 39 and moved to the Outlaw 21.

With eight seconds showing on the clock, the Devils tried to line up and ground the ball so they could attempt a field goal. The officials, though, said Gurdon ran out of time and wouldn't allow the field goal attempt.

The half ended with Gurdon holding a 14-0 lead and the most bizarre call of the night coming up.

Throughout the first half, however, it was evident the Devils were playing their best ball of the season.

Prior to the kickoff, the announcer informed the crowd Dierks had not been scored on at home all year and entered the contest undefeated on its own turf.

The Devils welcomed Dierks to the real world.

Dierks opened the second half with an onside kick attempt. The Devils' Justin Griffin fell on the ball at the Outlaw 49, and the fun began.

Gurdon's offense started its march toward the Outlaw endzone with C. Charles carrying the ball 11 yards on a sweep.

Penalties moved the line of scrimmage to the Gurdon 44. And the weirdness took over.

Toland dropped back and let the ball fly deep. Hatley ran under it at the five, where he was brought down after having to slow up to make the catch.

But there was a piece of yellow laundry on the ground.

Pace and the Gurdon coaching staff were expecting a pass interference call against Dierks, as the defender had grabbed Hatley's shoulder before the ball arrived.

However, the officials saw things differently, nailing Gurdon with the penalty instead.

The officiating crew took enough time to play a full quarter before reaching a decision -- which was, to say, a strange one.

Gurdon's Hatley was called for holding after making the catch (a physical impossibility in football).

The line of scrimmage proved to be another nightmare, because the chains had been moved to the Outlaw endzone area, and the original line lost.

The officials, however, decided the Devils were at the Dierks 45 and placed the ball at the Gurdon 44.

Pace turned purple screaming at the referee because of the bad call and worse decision.

He argued they couldn't place the ball back at the original line because the chains had moved. He also lobbied, unsuccessfully, saying if Hatley held, the line should be 10 yards from the spot of the infraction.

The Texas crew refused to listen, and the third quarter resumed at 9:35 p.m., with 9:31 remaining.

The Devils were able to move the ball to Dierks' eight, overcoming another penalty in the process.

They lined up for a 26-yard field goal attempt before getting flagged again, this time for illegal motion.

The 31-yard attempt was blocked, giving Dierks the ball at its 16.

The confusion apparently gave Dierks the rest and momentum it needed as the Outlaws were able to finally penetrate Gurdon's goal line.

But they had some help from a Devil miscue, the lone fumble of the night.

Gurdon's defense had held Dierks, forcing the Outlaws to punt after Bruce was introduced to Keone Penney on a screen that went awry. Bruce was lucky to be able to walk after Penney's bone-jarring tackle.

The punt went to C. Charles at the Gurdon 44, where he fumbled it, with Dierks recovering.

Five plays later, the Outlaws drove in from the one. The point after was blocked, giving Gurdon a 14-6 lead.

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