Dawgs Start Fast Then 'Flag' on NWTNTODAY.COM

Through four quarters of play between the Gleason High School Bulldogs and the Stewart County High School Rebels, similar numbers were churned out on the stat sheets with the exception of two — penalty yards and the final score. While the Rebels’ desire to avenge last season’s 28-26 opening loss to the Dawgs may have provided the needed fire for this year’s 52-38 win on their home field this past Friday night in Dover, the Dawgs saw the yellow flags thrown at their feet 10 more times than the Rebels resulting in a momentum-changing 155 total penalty yards. The visiting Bulldogs jumped out to a feverish pace and took a 20-7 lead after just one quarter, yet found themselves plagued and frustrated by penalties for the remainder of the time and only managed to put up 18 points for the rest of the game. To start the contest, Gleason's Zach Wallace silenced the home crowd by going the distance and taking the opening kick 80 yards into the end zone for the quick touchdown. The extra point attempt failed, but the Bulldogs took an early 6-0 lead with 11:46 left in the opening quarter. Stewart County’s first offensive series yielded a fumble by quarterback Matt Earhart. Getting the ball back on the Rebel 23-yard line, Wallace went to the air and found Ben Sumner in the end zone for the score. Shadow Roney ran in the conversion and the Dawgs jumped out to a 14-0 lead with 11:12 left in the first quarter. Back on offense, SC's Eric Pritchett picked up back-to-back first downs on runs of 12 and 14 yards. A penalty gave the home team a third-and-long, but Earhart hit Caleb Rosette for a 25-yard pass and Bo Ringer put the finishing touch on the drive with a 2-yard TD run. Will Adage hit the PAT and with 8:04 left in the first quarter, the Rebs cut the lead in half, 14-7. Gleason went to a host of runners including Alex Verdell, Roney and Cody Ezell who gained 40 yards on one play to put the Dawgs in Rebel territory. At the 36, Verdell gained 9 on first down and Dalton Teeter picked up the first down on a 7-yard carry. Facing a fourth-and-long, Wallace went to the air and found Roney in the corner of the end zone for the 21-yard touchdown. The conversion failed, but the Dawgs took a 20-7 advantage after one quarter. The second quarter opened with Gleason turning the ball over on downs. Stewart County picked up a quick first down on a keeper from Earhart and was aided by a GHS penalty before Earhart found Carey Smith in the end zone on a 47-yard TD pass. Adage kicked the PAT and with 10:10 left in the half, the Gleason lead was cut to 20-14. Gleason started its next offensive series on its own 30-yard line. Roney outran everyone for a 43-yard gain and a first down deep in Rebel territory. Verdell gained 24 yards in two plays and Ezell ran in the 7-yard touchdown. The conversion failed, but GHS padded its lead, 26-14, with 6:42 left before halftime. The Rebels answered with a pass play and were aided by a personal foul penalty on the Dawgs. Adage carried the ball an additional 19 yards and set up a one-yard Earhart touchdown run. The kick was good and the Rebels edged closer, 26-21, with 5:40 left in the second quarter. A rash of penalties slowed any chance of momentum for the Dawgs and forced a punt. SC, still owning the momentum from the last drive, picked up two quick first downs and found itself on the Dawgs’ 10-yard line. The Gleason defense held tough, but on fourth-and-goal, the Rebel line pushed Ringer into the end zone. Adage’s kick was good and the Rebels took the 28-26 lead and the momentum into the halftime break. The third frame proved to be slow going for both squads. SC punted for the first time in its opening drive and Gleason, pushed back by penalties, turned the ball over on downs. Starting with good field position, Stewart County used the run and scored on Pritchett's 27-yard dash. Adage’s kick was good and with 3:19 left in the third, the Rebs led, 35-26. Gleason, on a rare penalty-free series, began chewing up yardage on the ground, advancing to the Rebel 11. Wallace dove into the end zone on an 11-yard run to start the final quarter and after a conversion attempt failed, the Dawgs pulled to within three, 35-32, with 11:54 left to play. The Rebels answered in a big way with a Pritchett 26-yard dash up the sideline and a halfback pass from Pritchett to Rosette for 24 yards and a touchdown. Adage kicked the extra point and with 11:00 left, the Rebel lead widened to 42-32. The Dawgs turned the ball over on downs on their next series, yet the GHS defense kept the home team out of the end zone. Adage, however, sent a 30-yard field goal kick through the uprights with 5:12 left in the game and the Rebel lead increased to 45-32. Shadow Roney matched Wallace’s 80-yard kick return with an 80-yard run of his own to make the score 45-38 with 5:00 left in the game, but it wasn’t enough to make up for the penalties assessed and the additional touchdown the Rebels tacked on to put them ahead for good, 52-38. When the smoke cleared, SC held a slight edge in passing yards, 154-107. Earhart threw for 130 yards and one touchdown and ran for 70 yards and one touchdown for the Rebels and Gleason’s Wallace passed for 65 yards and two scores and ran for 66 yards and two touchdowns. The Dawgs held the edge in rushing, 305-283. Verdell led Gleason with 99 yards and Pritchett had 132 for SC. The total yards were almost identical with the edge going to Stewart County, 437-412. Yet the Dawgs were slapped with 80 more penalty yards — 155-75. Gleason will next host Halls with kickoff set for 7 p.m. on Friday. Stewart County will visit Greenfield with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 on Friday night. Gleason-Stewart County, Stats Gleason 20 6 0 12—38 Stewart Co. 7 21 7 17—52 First Quarter Gle — Zach Wallace 80-yard kick return (Kick failed), 1:46. Gle — Ben Sumner 23-yard pass from Wallace (Shadow Roney conversion), 11:12. Ste — Bo Riner 2-yard run (Will Adamec kick), 8:04. Gle — Roney 21-yard pass from Wallace (Conversion failed), 2:59. Second Quarter Ste — Carey Smith 47-yard pass from Matt Earhart (Adamec kick), 10:10. Gle — Cody Ezell 7-yard run (Conversion failed), 6:42. Ste — Earhart 1-yard run (Adamec kick), 5:40. Ste — Riner 1-yard run (Adamec kick), 00:36. Third Quarter Ste — Eric Pritchett 27-yard run (Adamec kick), 3:19. Fourth Quarter Gle — Wallace 11-yard run (Conversion failed), 11:54. Ste — Caleb Rozet 24-yard pass from Pritchett (Adamec kick), 11:00. Ste — Adamec 30-yard field goal, 5:12. Gle — Shadow Roney 80-yard kick return (Conversion failed), 5:00. Ste — Riner 5-yard run (Adamec kick), 2:55. ________________________________ Gle Ste First Downs 19 23 Rushing yards 305 283 Passing yards 107 154 Comp-Att-Int 6-13-0 8-12-0 Punts 1-30 1-28 Fumbles-Lost 1-0 2-2 Penalties-yards 17-155 7-75 ________________________________ Individual Statistics Rushing — Gleason, Alex Verdell 16-99, Zach Wallace 10-66, Shadow Roney 6-64, Cody Ezell 6-59, Nicky Spain 1-10, Dalton Teeter 1-7; Stewart County, Eric Pritchett 10-132, Matt Earhart 16-70, Bo Riner 8-43, Seth Crain 6-19, Will Adamec 1-19. Passing — Gleason, Wallace 4-11-0 65, Spain 2-2-0 42; Stewart County, Earhart 7-11-0 130, Pritchett 1-1-0 24. Receiving — Gleason, Alex Verdell 2-20, Wallace 1-32, Ben Sumner 1-23, Roney 1-21, Ezell 1-11; Stewart County, Carey Smith 3-97, Caleb Rozet 3-50, Adamec 1-6, Pritchett 1-1. Records — Gleason 0-1; Stewart County 1-0.. Next Game — Gleason will host Halls with kickoff at 7 on Friday night, while Stewart County will travel to Greenfield with kickoff at 7:30 on Friday night.

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