Gators romp Wildcats in The Swamp

Published 11:28 pm Friday, October 26, 2018

EATONTON, Ga. — The Gatewood Gators (6-2 overall, 1-0 region) kicked off the region portion of their schedule with a dominant show of strength Friday night.

They manhandled the Flint River Wildcats 48-0 thanks to an outstanding rushing attack that amassed 371 yards unofficially and a stout defense that hardly allowed the visitors from Woodbury to catch a glimpse of the end zone. 

Friday’s matchup marked the Gators’ first home game since Sept. 14, and they seemed happy to be able to give their fans and supporters a show for Homecoming 2018.

“We needed to take care of business like that,” Gatewood coach Jeff Ratliff told The Union-Recorder after the win. “We haven’t been at home since the Community Christian game back in Week 4. We’ve been on the road and the hurricane canceled our last home game before we went down to play a very good Memorial Day team where we came up on the short end of the stick. We needed to have a good week and take care of business against Flint River. I’m proud of these guys.”

Gatewood’s home field lived up to its Gator-related nickname “The Swamp” as the Friday rains had turned the surface into a wet mush. The host team’s green uniforms turned several shades darker as the game wore on, while the Wildcats’ visiting whites became brown, but overall the conditions did not have much effect on play.

The two GISA Region 1-2A contenders traded possessions out the gate with each posting a three-and-out. It would be a recurring theme for Flint River, but definitely not the Gators. A pair of runs by senior Gatewood fullback Yale Stapp totaling 52 yards put his team in striking distance, and sophomore quarterback Luke Haley cashed in from 4 yards out for the night’s first score. 

The following Gator scoring drive was set up by the one play affected by the wet conditions. Flint River was lined up to punt deep in its own territory but the snap came low, and the punter was tackled for a big loss. Gatewood took over on the Wildcats’ 10 and scored on the very next play when tailback Walt Jarrett took a toss around the left side. Jarrett struck again on his team’s next turn on offense, this time from 41 yards out to put the Gators up 21-0 with time still remaining in the first. 

Coach Ratliff chose to open up the passing game when Gatewood got the ball back next as Haley hit sophomore wide receiver Bryce Johnson for a 32-yard gain just before time ran out in the first. The Gators showed off their run-pass option attack later in the drive when Haley found Jarrett out of the backfield. The junior took care of things from there to give the home team a 28-0 advantage. 

The Gatewood defense was firing on all cylinders Friday night too, and didn’t allow a Flint River first down until a few minutes into the second quarter. The Wildcats’ first real scoring opportunity of the night came halfway through the second period, but was stifled when defensive end Reed Haley put the pressure on to force a throwaway. 

The Gators carried a 35-0 lead into halftime, and were awarded with a running clock in the final two quarters. 

Gatewood’s win means the region championship will be on the line next week at Piedmont Academy in Monticello. 

“That team has already beaten Piedmont, so had we slipped up tonight they (Flint River) would’ve actually been region champs,” Ratliff said. “We needed to take care of business against them, now we need to go over to Piedmont and win region next week. Getting that bye will be big for us, but more importantly we want to be at home for the playoffs.”