Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Miscues Kill Go-Devils In 7A Loss

John Pace unveiled a secret weapon Friday night as the Go-Devils hosted Mineral Springs.

Unfortunately, mental mistakes and turnovers proved to be too much for Gurdon to overcome as the Hornets stung for a 19-0 win, dropping Gurdon to 0-3 on the season.

Mineral Springs won the toss, deferring to the second half, which gave Gurdon the ball first.

The kick sailed to A. Meeks, who slipped down at the 19. Gurdon's first play was a fumble, which the Devils recovered for no gain. Two more plays resulted in the ball moving to the 29, where the Devils punted.

Tommy Otwell, who took over punting chores, had a short kick, with the Hornets gaining possession at Gurdon's 48.

Three plays netted a first down on the muddy field as rain had fallen throughout the day, stopping shortly before game time.

Gurdon benefitted from the foul conditions as the Hornets put the ball on the ground, with Kewon Penney falling on the loose pigskin at Gurdon's 49.

Then came the secret weapon. Pace went back to the Chicago Bears of 1985 for this idea as Joshua Thomas, normally a lineman, moved to the fullback slot and carried for nine yards, broaching Mineral Springs territory for one of the few times of the contest .

Thomas advanced the line of scrimmage another three yards on his second carry before the Devils began retreating. Kenny Hughes bobbled the wet pitch on the next play, losing to the 48.

Jared Toland dropped back on third down, let the ball fly, only to see it tipped at the line and be picked off by Rodney Woodruff, who returned the theft to the 40.

Hankie time followed as the Devils were flagged on two consecutive plays for being offside, moving the ball to midfield.

First down gained one yard and the Hornets dipped into their bag of tricks. A double reverse saw Woodruff ramble to the Devil 33. This was followed by a halfback option pass from Braden Atkins to Woodruff, who was hauled down at the two.

Two plays and a quarterback sneak resulted in the first score of the game. The point after split the uprights, the only one of three to do so, giving the Hornets a 7-0 lead.

The kick sailed to Chauncey Charles, who fumbled it out of bounds at the 17.

Thomas bulled through the middle of the line for three, giving Gurdon some breathing room, but penalties thwarted any forward momentum the Devils may have had. Third down saw another step in the wrong direction as a pitch to Charles lost yardage as the fi rst period ended.

The second quarter began with Gurdon with another short punt, this time going from the 12 to the 34.

Four plays later, Mineral Springs held a 13-0 lead, with the drive culminated on an eight yard run by Shaun Davis.

The Hornets were penalized five yards for illegal motion on the kick, with the boot sailing wide left.

Kenny Hughes fumbled the kickoff at the 15, picked up the loose ball and rambled to the 40. This was the furthest forward the drive would travel.

Charles was dropped for a loss of four on first down and the Devils were flagged for motion on the next play.

Toland missed Hughes with a pass, but the play was brought back as Gurdon was flagged for holding.

Toland's next attempt was incomplete to Penney. With 8:08 left in the period, Pace called a time out.

Third down began with Toland pitching to Hughes, who dropped back a step and winged the ball downfield. Woodruff got to it first, for the second Hornet interception of the game.

Mineral Springs took over at their 40, but found a stiff Devil defensive front. On third down, Jason Cody was rudely introduced to Thomas, who attempted to put him under the turf with a solid tackle.

Eric Allen fielded the punt at the 18, but went no further.

Three plays resulted in backward motion to the Gurdon 14, forcing another punt.

Again, the kick didn't travel far, as the Hornets took over on the Gurdon 38.

Mineral Springs looked like they would be scoring shortly after taking possession as they moved to the Devil 11 in two plays. The next four plays, however, saw the Gurdon defense tighten and shut down the Hornet offensive assault, as the half ended with M ineral Springs leading 13-0.

Neither team could move effectively in the third period, as flags, turnovers and a soggy field kept both offenses in check.

The third 12 minutes ended with Gurdon penetrating the Hornet side of the 50 for only the second time of the contest.

The Devils looked to be mounting a drive, overcoming a motion penalty and a loss to their 44. Facing fourth down, Pace called time, with 11:35 left.

Gurdon lined up for a punt, softening the Hornet defense. The snap went to upback Thomas, who went over the right side of the line for a first down to keep the drive alive at the Hornet 45.

Two plays later, the ball wound up on the ground following an option pitch, with Mineral Springs recovering.

The two squads swapped punts as neither defense was forgiving.

At the 6:34 mark, the Hornets began their final scoring drive. Taking the punt at the Gurdon 49, Mineral Springs moved slowly, yet relentlessly, toward the Devil goal line.

It took 10 plays before David Hendrix plowed over from the one for the final points of the evening. The snap for point after was mishandled, resulting in the kick being blocked.

Gurdon managed to move into Hornet territory for a final time, but a screen to Penney on the final play only got the Devils to the Hornet 20.

Unofficial statistics show Gurdon completing four of 14 passes for 61 yards and two interceptions. The Hornet passing attack was one of three for 32 yards.

Gurdon punted the ball five times for 87 yards with no returns. Mineral Springs had four punts for 108 yards, allowing 13 yards in returns.

The Devils were flagged eight times for 55 yards, while their opponents saw laundry fall six times for 57 yards.

Gurdon put the ball on the ground five times, losing one fumble, while the Hornets coughed up two of three fumbles.

Gurdon ran 44 offensive plays to Mineral Springs' 49. The Devils managed six first downs, while allowing 12.

The Hornets amassed 151 rushing yards, while giving Gurdon only 44. The Devils had 105 total yards to the 183 for Mineral Springs.

Charles was the leading rusher for Gurdon with 28 yards, followed by Thomas with 24. Kaleb Williams was the only other Devil with positive yardage with two.

Gurdon hits the road Friday night as they travel to Outlaw territory in Dierks. The Outlaws, in their contest last week, handled Foreman 20-12.