Gordon’s long fumble return, big second half pick up Central

Luke Erwin of Hilliard Bradley tries to drag down Pickerington Central running back Jamir Jackson.

fourth quarter, Bradley drove deep into Central territory and seemed poised to put the game away.

The Jaguars picked up a first down at the Tigers 4-yard line, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty pushed them back to the 19. On the next play,

Jack Richards rambled for 10 yards, but while churning for extra yardage, got the ball hammered out by Dom Marasco.

Gordon scooped up the loose ball and raced untouched down the sideline to the end zone, turning a potential two-score deficit into a one-point lead.

“I forced a fumble that helped us win the Hilliard Davidson game (17-14 in overtime), and Coach told me all week I was going to make a big play against Bradley, too,” Gordon said. “When I picked it up, I knew nobody was going to catch me. Man, did the momentum change there.”

On the ensuing series, Bradley drove to the Central 22. But on fourth-and-1, TCU recruit Karter Johnson blasted through the line and stopped quarterback Griffin Veil for a 1-yard loss.

“We had a special play called there, and it took a great effort from everybody to open up that lane to get me through,” Johnson said. “We made some huge adjustments through the course of the game that helped us come back, but it was mostly a matter of being more focused and coming up with the big