Gators extend Longhorn scoring drought
The Clarke Prep Gators were right at home on a rain soaked home field and showed it by scoring 48 unanswered points to continue the scoring drought for the Marengo Academy Longhorns. The Gators used a 65-yard punt return to register the winning score of the night then added four touchdown passes and two scoring runs to close out the night against the visiting Longhorns. It was the second game in a row that the Longhorns have been unable to reach the end zone.
The Longhorns seemed to be poised to make a statement early when Trey Etheridge broke up a screen pass on a 4th-and-10 attempt on the Gators’ opening drive of the game. However, the Longhorns were unable to keep the momentum rolling after an illegal participation call gave them a first down on a 4th-and-2 play.
Following a Longhorn punt, Conner Edmonds picked off a Gator pass to get the Longhorns back on offense. But, the Longhorns were forced to punt and the Gators made their first strike of the night. The punt return went for a 65-yard score and the successful PAT put the Gators up 7-0 with 2:47 to go in the first quarter.
On their ensuing possession, a Longhorn runner had the ball ripped from his grasp and the Gators recovered on the Longhorn 5-yard line. After backing up on a holding penalty, the Gators found the end zone again on a 22-yard pass. The PAT pushed the Longhorn deficit to 14-0 with 22 seconds to go in the first quarter.
Up 14-0, the Gators pulled off a successful onside kick and quickly inflicted more damage with a 29-yard touchdown pass with 11:21 to go in the second quarter. The PAT was good and the Gators stretched their lead to 21-0 over the Longhorns.
The Longhorns were able to convert on a 4th-and-2 on their ensuing possession but were ultimately forced to punt. The Gators’ next possession saw an 8-yard sack by Dylan Thompson, but the Gators recovered to score again on a screen pass with 1:07 to go in the first half. The PAT was good and the first half would end with the Gators ahead 28-0.
The Longhorns were unable to find traction after receiving the second half kickoff. After a Longhorn punt, the Gators went back to the passing game to find the end zone again with 9:35 to go in the third quarter. The PAT failed and the Gators lead stood at 34-0.
The next Longhorn drive resulted in a punt and the Gators made their first running touchdown of the night on a 3-yard run with 2:59 to go. The Gator lead climbed to 41-0 with a successful PAT. The Gators would tack on a final 17-yard touchdown run at the 7:57 mark of the fourth quarter and add a successful PAT to round out the scoring for the night at 48-0. The Longhorns and Gators would swap fumbles, allowing the Longhorns to reach scoring territory. However, the Longhorns were unable to convert on a 4th-and-7 pass and the game would end with a 48-0 Gator victory.
After the game, Coach David Akins talked about how one missed assignment can result in consequences for the whole team, citing a missed assignment on the punt return for a touchdown. “It just snowballed after that,” Akins said. “I’m proud of the effort. We battled. We’re limited in everything we do and we know that. We work hard and our (players) play hard. And that’s all I can ask them to do.”
The Longhorns (0-3) will make the last leg of their three game road stretch when they visit Southern Academy in Greensboro next week.
