Gordon Central Warriors fall on the road at Pepperell
JStewart@RN-T.com
It was a second half to forget for the Gordon Central Warriors as they fell to the Pepperell Dragons, 28-7, at Pepperell High School on Friday.
While Gordon Central tried its best to upset Pepperell on its homecoming night in Lindale, it was the resolve of the Dragons to come back out and capture a three-score win to start their Region 7-AA schedule.
Gage Moses ran for a touchdown and threw a 29-yard pass for a score to Dalton Wright in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach of the Warriors, who are still searching for their first win of the season.
The Warriors opened the game with a reverse pass on the first play from scrimmage, allowing quarterback Nelson Gravitt to throw downfield to a wide-open Issac Dye, who raced down to the Pepperell 15 before being tackled for a 62-yard reception.
Gravitt pushed his way over the goal line from 2 yards out a few plays later for the first touchdown of the game. Luis Garcia made the extra point and Gordon Central owned a 7-0 lead over Pepperell with 8:49 left in the opening half.
That would be all the Warriors would be able to muster, however. Gordon Central (04, 0-1 7-AA) would go 0-for-3 on fourth down conversions in the second quarter and be held back by the Dragons’ defense for the second half.
Pepperell (3-1, 1-0) was up 28-7 in the final quarter when Gravitt led Gordon Central on its longest drive of the night, pushing from its own 20 until getting down to the Dragons’ 23. The home team’s defense came through one last time, as Tyler Liggons broke free from the line to bring down Gravitt in the backfield on fourth-and-10.
With 2:48 left to play, Pepperell was able to get a first down and run out the clock to secure the win.
Gordon Central was held to 92 yards of offense in the second half, while Gravitt finished the game 5-of-15 passing for 115 yards.
The Warriors made things difficult for Pepperell in the sec
The Warriors start strong, but can’t find their first win of 2019.
ond quarter as Jordan Boone and Joshua Wilson both recovered Dragon fumbles, and Dye and Bryson Fowler both had interceptions to keep Pepperell out of the end zone.
Gordon Central failed to convert any of the four turnovers into points, and Pepperell’s Chase Gresham snagged a Gravitt pass for an interception as well to interrupt any Warrior drive.
After Gordon Central’s opening jolt, the Dragons were able to even things up with a oneplay drive as Moses hit Tra Robinson on a pass out to the left that the junior turned into an 87-yard touchdown with 2:34 left in the first quarter. Ryan Hurst made his first of four successful extra points to tie the game 7-7.
Hurst recovered a fumble by Boone on the Warriors’ first possession of the second half and the Dragons marched 33 yards, with D.J. Rogers forcing his way through for a 7-yard touchdown to break the tie.
Up Next
Gordon Central will host Chattooga on Friday, Sept. 27. Kickoff from Ratner Stadium is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.