DCS Gators corral Caldwell Spartans, 34-7
The Swamp – After last week’s jamboree, Delhi Charter Head Coach Brett Raley said he wanted to make sure this year’s team wasn’t dependent on just one running back. Well after his Gator’s win over Caldwell, no one will question that philosophy as 10 runners carried the ball and amassed 282 yards on the way to a convincing 34-7 win.
“We have a lot of depth in that area this year and we plan on using it,” Raley added. “Each one of those guys brings a little something different to the table so it’s really good for us. Also, several of them play defense too so we can give them some rest along the way.”
Offensively, the game got off to a slow start as neither team scored in the first period, but Kaleb Offord scored on a 7-yard run midway through the second quarter to break the deadlock. Offord finished as the leading rusher with 61 yards on 8 carries. His score proved to be the only score of the first half as kicker Trey Welch’s PAT was unsuccessful leaving the score 6-0 at halftime.
Delhi Charter got the second half kickoff on a short field as Caldwell attempted an onside kick. Senior J. T. Williams capped the 7-play 53-year drive with a 13-yard scamper. Williams had four carries for 37 yards on the night. Quarterback Mason Hale ran in the conversion to make it 14-0.
The Gator’s Ryan Hicks kept the momentum going as he caught an intentional or accidental onside kick off the foot of kicker Rodney Mitchell to give DCS another short field. Hicks then moved to runningback and reeled off the final 27-yards on the drive with a 24-yard run and then dove in from 3-yards out to finish the drive. Welch’s kick made the score 21-0 with 3 minutes left in the third quarter.
Caldwell lost their quarterback J.D. Abrams early in the game with a broken wrist which forced receiver Tarion Dobbins into the QB role for the second year in a row. He mounted a drive on the next series, but his pass was intercepted by DCS’ Reed McMurray and he returned it 68-yards for another TD which put the game away after Welch’s kick made it 28-0. Eric London had a 28-yard run for the Spartan’s only score.
Hale capped the DCS scoring with a 4-yard run in the final minute for the final margin. Hale had a rough night passing as he misfired on three attempts and was intercepted once. Kody Ellis chipped in 9 carries for 54 yards and Kemo Williford had 21 yards on six carries before leaving late in the game with a slight leg or ankle injury. Defensively, the Gators held the Spartans to 12 yards of offense in the first half and only 121 in the game. Welch and Hicks led the defense with 6 tackles each and Mitchell had the only sack of the night.
Next week, the Gators hit the road for the first time as they travel to Jena to take on the 3A Giants. Jena will be looking for its first win against DCS as last year the Gators mounted a second half comeback to claim a 30-20 win. DCS won the first meeting the previous year, 30-14. Jena won in week one defeating Tioga 32-28.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. in Jena.