After a tough start to the Region 7-AA schedule last Friday in a 69-0 loss to Pepperell, the road doesn’t lighten up at all for Gordon Central, who visits Chattooga on Friday night at 7:30 p.m.
The Warriors (0-4, 0-1) couldn’t get anything positive going against the Dragons as they recovered a fumble on the opening drive, but it was all Pepperell after that. Gordon Central trailed 58-0 at the half with Pepperell scoring on all but two offensive possessions in the first half.
“We felt like going into that game that Pepperell was one of the best teams we were going to face all year and definitely one of the top teams in our region,” said Humphreys. “We just couldn’t ever get out of our own shadow and get the ball past the 50-yard line in that first half. They had the ball on our side of the field almost every time they touched it. They ran the ball well against us, and being down a few defensive linemen didn’t help matters either. (Pepperell) just took it to us and we weren’t able to get anything going.”
The visit to Little Big Horn in Summerville on Friday could be just as tough a test as the Indians (2-2, 1-0) come into the matchup off a big win over Coosa. Chattooga boasts an explosive offense led by twin brothersIsaac and Isaiah Foster. Isaac is the starting quarterback, who can hurt teams with his arm and legs, and Isaiah is a running back that can break a big play at any time. Those are just two of the explosive athletes Chattooga has to use.
“They might be 2-2, but the teams they lost to are very good,” said Humphreys. “Their offense is all over the charts as they’ve done a lot of different things already this season. Against Coosa, they spread them out and ran it on them. That’s what we’re really expecting from them. The quarterback is really good and can throw it a lot better than most people think, and his brother, the running back, is a great player too. They have a lot of size up front as well so we’ll have to figure out a way to handle that.”
Gordon Central will look to get their rushing game going to try to move the chains against the Indians after they were held to just 18 yards on the ground against Pepperell. Branson Towe and Martavius Harris had a tough night, combining for just 22 rushing yards. Jordon Green was the top receiver against Pepperell with five catches for 53 yards.
“It’s going to be a tough place to play,” said Humphreys of going to Chattooga. “It’s a trip we haven’t taken as a team so it will be a new environment. And they are one of the top teams in the region. We’ve got to get some first downs offensively, and we’ve got to tackle better defensively.”
Chattooga’s speed and athleticism is another recipe for a tough night for the Warriors, especially at Chattooga. Gordon Central would need a lot of unexpected things to happen to compete in this game.
Chattooga wins, 49-10.
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