The senior-laden Gurdon team came into the game ranked fifth in their 2A Region 3 conference to Spring Hill’s seventh. Their head coach Kyle Jackson said in an interview placed on the program’s Facebook page earlier Friday that the team was “playing for our playoff lives” and needed to win its final three games to extend their season.
The Go-Devils evidently took Jackson’s message to heart, though at the game’s start it did not necessarily seem so, with Gurdon quarterback Rhett Ledbetter ending the Go-Devils first drive by throwing an interception to Spring Hill’s defensive back and receiver Karson Hamilton. Spring Hill’s drive, starting from Gurdon’s 24, got as close as two yards before paydirt, but bogged down. On fourth and 6, Spring Hill’s field goal attempt was blocked.
Gurdon’s offense got down to business on its second drive, which started from the Go-Devils own 20. Gurdon’s senior running back Jamari Williams and junior running back Xavier Laster would scamper often during the drive and the game on deceptive handoffs, tosses and sweeps. This drive ended in Ledbetter tossing a touchdown to a receiver who ran into open space in the far northwest corner of the endzone with :16 left in the first quarter, leaping several feet to corral the high throw. The point after kick was good, making the game 7-0, Gurdon.
The Bears would get good field position on a big kickoff return by Karson Hamilton that put Spring Hill’s offense on Gurdon’s 31 yard line. But the Bears were held to four yards in the possession, attempting a pass on fourth and six that fell incomplete. Gurdon would take over at their own 26.
On second and five, Xavier Laster would take a handoff while going toward his left, burst through the Bears defense and score the Go-Devils’ second touchdown 81 yards later. The point after was good, and the score was 14-0 Gurdon over Spring Hill.
Spring Hill’s next possession started at their own 32 but bogged down again at the Gurdon 49 on fourth and four. Opting to go for it, the pass by quarterback Jaxon Smith seemed to have been deflected by a Go-Devil defender but the Spring Hill receiver made a gallant attempt to go low for the catch. The ref ruled the ball had hit the turf, though. It was a turnover on downs with 5:47 left in the second quarter.
Gurdon would make short work of its next possession, going from midfield to the Spring Hill 11 on first down on another big run. On a second and ten, it would be a Jamari Williams run to the left into the end zone, Gurdon now going up 20-0. Again the PAT was good, making the score 21-0 with 3:43 left in the half.
Spring Hill got back into the game on the next Bears’ possession, Jaxon Smith completing a pass to Karson Hamilton for a 46-yard touchdown reception with under two minutes left in the half. The conversion attempt after did not succeed, rendering the score 21-6.
Spring Hill kept the Go-Devils scoreless in the next drive, but it was a very near thing with a Bear defender intercepting a Ledbetter pass at the Spring Hill one. This made for a tricky Spring Hill possession with 11 seconds left that was itself intercepted by a Gurdon player. But a Spring Hill tackle averted a catastrophic return and ended the first half.
In the second half, the Bears received the kickoff and started their possession from their own 40. On the first play, Smith kept and ran to his left for a big gain, finally being tackled at the Gurdon 45. He picked up three on the next play. On the second and seven Bears running back Tucker Vickers ruan the distance for a touchdown run. The conversion attempt was no good, and the score now read 21-12 Gurdon.
This would be as close as Spring Hill would get, though, as Gurdon’s offense often used its bruising offensive line to gather Bears defenders into a clump in the middle as its two scatbacks rans around the edges, collecting big gains and touchdown runs. By the end the score read 49-12.
Spring Hill plays again Friday November 2nd, travelling to meet a 6-2 Murfreesboro team that prevailed against Junction City Friday night 30-14.
At halftime of the game, the mini-Bears cheerleaders and founders of the Spring Hill Bears football game were honored on the field.
