Warriors fall flat at Armuchee
— A combination of offensive inefficiency, costly turnovers and poor tackling resulted in a 43-3 road loss to the Armuchee Indians for the Gordon Central Warriors on Friday, who are still searching for that elusive first win of the season.
The Warriors (0-7, 0-4) were unable to wrap-up Armuchee (2-5, 1-3) running back Jacob Henderson, who gashed the Gordon Central defense for 162 yards on 16 carries.
Henderson took full advantage of that 10.1 yards per carry average to score two touchdowns for the Indians. He went untouched on an 11-yard rushing score in the first quarter and sliced through the defense for a 28-yard score early in the second.
The Indians gambled with a nifty trick play after the first touchdown, with Henderson passing the ball to wide receiver Hunter Clark for the successful attempt and an early 8-0 statement.
Gordon Central running back Branson Towe didn’t find rushing room as easily, managing only 12 yards on 15 carries as he was routinely hit in the backfield.
Armuchee also found success through the air, utilizing both Brayden Perry and Seth Stanley to carve up the secondary. Perry finished 6-of-8 passing for 82 yards. Stanley went 8-of-10 passing while compiling 49 yards from the pocket.
Hunter Clark collected the only receiving touchdown, catching a quick slant and taking it the rest of the way for a 28-yard touchdown.
Thomas Reece led the Indians in receiving, tacking on 41 yards on five catches.
Stanley also displayed his quick footwork, sprinting past the defense for a 16 yard score on a quarterback keeper in the second quarter.
Due to consistent pressure from the Armuchee pass rush, the game didn’t go as smoothly for Gordon Central signal-caller Martavius Harris.
Harris was intercepted on an errant throw in the second quarter and failed to complete a pass in the first half. The Warrior offense put together a nice surge late in the second half when Harris managed to string together eight completions for 64 yards.
Jordon Green was the main beneficiary of Harris’ late game push, catching three passes for 41 yards. The Indians held Corey Dixon, one of Gordon Central’s top playmakers, to zero catches on the night.
Turnovers plagued the Warriors the entire night, and the Indians capitalized often. In addition to the interception, Harris also fumbled the ball. The fumble was quickly pounced on by Chase Shepard.
The Warriors also suffered a blocked punt, which bounced out of the end zone for a safety.
The Indians avoided danger, recovering both fumbles they coughed up.
Shepard wasn’t finished for Armuchee. He took a handoff near the goal line and plunged into the end zone for a four-yard score as the first half concluded.
Indians running back Kamen Harris added the exclamation mark to the 43-3 victory with his own three-yard scoring rush in the third quarter. He also snagged a catch for 18 yards.
Gordon Central added their only points of the night on a 32-yard field goal from kicker Bogar Aguilar in the fourth.
The Warriors are back home next Friday night, hosting Model.