Following a back-and-forth battle Friday night, the visiting Gatewood Gators pulled off a 33-26 victory over the Augusta Prep Cavaliers. The win left the Gators with an unblemished record after two games this young season, while Augusta remained winless.
“We’ve got a pretty inexperienced team. For 18 of them (players), that was just their second start. I mean, we’ve got nine seniors, but as far as starters go, not a lot of experience,” Gators head coach Jeff Ratliff said. “So to get in a contest that went back and forth like that and then find a way to win is a really good thing.”
After a scoreless first 12 minutes, the Cavs finally put seven points on the board with 4:01 left in the second quarter. The Gators responded just 28 seconds later, though, with an impressive 64-yard touchdown run by senior running back Justin Jameson, followed up by the extra point off the foot of junior Jayden Daniel to tie things up.
The Cavaliers then connected with a long throw from senior quarterback Tyon Waiters down the right sideline late in the half that set up senior Bryson Cronan for a 12-yard carry-in touchdown and a 14-7 lead less than a minute before the teams headed off the field for halftime.
The Gators came out to play in the second, as sophomore quarterback Ames Johnson immediately steered them down to the Augusta red zone. He then handed the ball to junior running back Evan Bennett, who made a nice 19-yard carry that led to a 14-14 tie exactly four minutes into the half.
Ratliff said he felt his offensive line took some time getting used to their opponents but impressed him with their resolve and determination.
“They had to adjust to just being outsized up front and those guys (Augusta Prep) were pretty physical with them, but they stayed at it,” he said. “By the start of the (second) half they were doing a lot better and by the fourth quarter they were winning those battles and it allowed our running game to take over for us.”
Augusta Prep responded with a drive of their own that eventually led to sophomore tight end Conar Harris catching a four-yard pass for six more points to make it 20-14 with 5:56 left in the quarter. But the Gators' defense also stepped up and prevented an attempted two-point conversion.
Then, in the Gators’ next possession, Johnson bulled his way in from the one-yard line to put the Gatewood guys back on top 21-20, after Daniel connected for the extra point and first lead of the night for the Gators.
It was a short-lived success. With a 47-yard pass from Waiters to Cronan, the Cavaliers netted a 26-21 lead with just 48 seconds left in the quarter. It turned out to be their final six points, though, as the Gators' defense once more nixed Augusta’s two-point conversion attempt.
The back-and-forth play continued without scoring until 3:10 to go in the game when Johnson handed the ball once more to Bennett, who ran it in for 38 yards and his second TD of the night. This time, however, it was the Gators' turn to miss on the two-point conversion, leaving them with a 27-26 lead late in the contest.
“We probably should’ve just gone for the extra point,” Ratliff admitted. “But Ames (Johnson), he showed excellent game management and presence and was able to hit some key passes and make some key runs and big decisions on the option game. And that’s just his second start. He’s just going to get better and better every week.”
The scoring ended with 2:18 left on the clock as 2021 All-State running back Jameson made another spectacular 45-yard dash to give the Gators a 33-26 lead that held up after Gatewood again failed to make good on a two-point conversion.
“You know, even though we bent, we didn’t break defensively. I mean, it was one of those things where we got the stop at the end of the game when we needed it. And offensively, we put points up in the second half when we really needed those,” Ratliff said.
“That’s why I say it was a great team win and learning experience.
Moving down the stretch, we’re gonna’ have to get better stops defensively.
That’s no secret. Really, we’ve gotta’ be more consistent on both sides of the ball.”
This coming Friday at 7:30 p.m. in another non-region match, the Double-A Gators will host Southland Academy, a Triple-A team from Americus, which won tight games its first two times out this year but is coming off a 48-14 drubbing by Westfield School. It also marks Gatewood’s annual “Gold Out” game at Eatonton’s Sammons Field, featuring gold-colored uniforms on the team and fundraising for treating childhood cancer in the stands.
“Usually, the cheerleaders help us out and I’m sure they will this time, too,” Ratliff said.
“They’ll have some buckets in the stands, and you know, we just ask for donations and the last couple of years we’ve been very, very fortunate to have someone match whatever it is we raise. It’s a really good cause.”