Courtesy of al.com
Etowah scored the final 16 points of the game on the way to a 37-23 Class 5A, Region 7 road victory over Randolph on Friday in Huntsville.
Down 23-21 with 10 minutes left in the game, the Blue Devils turned to their workhorse, Paul Ruiz, who delivered with touchdown runs of 52 and 12 yards to ignite the comeback.
Jackson Nolan’s 52-yard touchdown pass to Will Scoggins on the first play of the fourth quarter put Randolph up 23-21, but Etowah came right back with two scores to seal the win.
“I’m very pleased with the way we responded in the fourth quarter,” said Etowah head coach Drew Noles. “We handled adversity better. Randolph played their guts out, but we continued to battle to the end.”
The Blue Devils’ defensive pressure stifled the Raiders in the second half, as they had four sacks along with a fumble recovery and an interception.
Ruiz rushed for 230 yards and three scores on 26 carries. He also added a six-yard touchdown catch.
Etowah travels to Fairview next week for more region action.
