Pepperell cruises to a victory over Model
Two Floyd County teams entered Model’s WoodardTuggle Stadium on Friday for a chance at staying atop the Region 7-AA standings. And Pepperell made its case pretty convincingly.
Sophomore quarterback Gage Moses had 286 yards of offense as the Dragons rolled past Model 41-7 to improve to 3-0 in the region standings, while the Pepperell defense held Model to 112 yards of offense.
Pepperell has now won four straight since starting the season 0-2, and head coach Rick Hurst is proud of how his team has responded week in and week out.
“The last four games, I thought we’ve gotten better each and every week on both sides of the football,” Hurst said. “Our defense responded really well tonight. That’s hard to do against a team that just continually comes at you and at you and at you.”
Pepperell (4-2, 3-0) continued its success in the series, pushing its streak against Model to three wins, and owning a 33-20-3 series lead.
Model head coach Ricky Ross said his team’s inconsistency at practice leads to inconsistency on the field, but he feels his team is still in a good place as the season crosses the midpoint.
“Our good is good, and our bad is bad,” Ross said. “There are still all kinds of opportunities out there. The more consistent we can become, the better our chances will be. One game can’t define you.”
Moses set the pace for the game early when he scored on a 66-yard run on the first play from scrimmage. He fin- ished with 108 yards on the ground, and was 14 of 25 for 178 yards and three touchdowns through the air with no interceptions.
“He’s a special player,” Hurst said. “He’s just a 10thgrader and he’s learning week after week.”
Pepperell’s Payton Rhoades caught six passes from Moses for 68 yards and a 3-yard score. Moses also threw touchdown passes to Jake Chandler for 4 yards, and a 30-yard strike to Ryan Hurst which he hauled in just before the ball hit the ground near the corner of the end zone.
Pepperell added on a score late in the game when freshman defensive lineman Brennan Tillery picked up a Model fumble around the Blue Devils’ 20-yard line and ran it back for a score with less than a minute to play.
Model’s Kidron Ford came into the matchup with 502 yards on the season but was held to only 69 yards on the ground. Sam Silver and Matthew Syverson linked up for the Blue Devils’ only score when Silver hit Syverson on a 10-yard strike in the third quarter.
The Dragons will put their undefeated region record on the line next Friday when they face No. 5-ranked Rockmart, which is also 3-0 in the region, at Dragon Stadium.
“We’ve got a huge test next week,” Hurst said. “They’re coming to Lindale and I know our kids are going to play hard. I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be a showdown, and the winner is going to have the inside track to the region championship.”
Model (2-4, 2-1) travels to Summerville next Friday to take on Chattooga.