By: Nick Hall
Miscues and blown opportunities were costly for the Gaston Bulldogs in a 24-8 loss to the Sylvania Rams in non-region action Friday night. Sylvania took the opening drive which culminated in a Kris Shavers touchdown. The Bulldogs shot themselves in the foot early, having a touchdown and long punt return called back on penalties. Turnovers also proved costly as Sylvania’s Nathan King had a scoop and score with 9:17 left in the second quarter. Trailing 14-0 late in the first half, the Bulldogs drove all the way down to the Sylvania 7, but the drive stalled when the Ram defense held on fourth-and-5. With 16 seconds left in the first half, the Bulldogs fortunes seemed to turn. Kameron Hawkins grabbed a tipped pass from Josh Campbell for a 28-yard touchdown. Hawkins then made the two-point conversion on a pass to Malik Redmond to go in down 14-8 at halftime.
A failed fourth-and-1 in the second half set the Rams up with good field position. The ensuing drive culminated in a 35-yard field goal by Christian Andrade early in the fourth quarter to extend the Rams lead to 17-8. Garren Brown replaced the injured Campbell and threw back-to-back interceptions. The first pick, by Styles Hughes, was converted into another Kris Shavers touchdown with 2:52 left to play. Logan McCullough grabbed the second interception with just 2:27 on the clock to seal the win. Shavers finished with two touchdowns on the night. Gareth Anderson also had a big night for the Rams, rushing 16 times for 79 yards and catching one pass for 42 yards. The Rams (1-2, 01) host Rival Plainview this week in a return to Region 7 play.
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