Last week’s results: Sand Rock 21, Gaston 14; Section 28, NSM 22
2012 result: Section 21, Gaston 14
Series record: Gaston 6, Section 4
By Gene Stanley/Sports Correspondent
Could’ve, would’ve, should’ve.
And if frogs had wings and all that stuff.
That’s the way Gaston High football coach Swane Morris feels this week after losing a heartbreaker to Sand Rock.
The Bulldogs had the ball in the red zone twice in the fourth quarter and came away with zero points.
To make it worse, one of the drives featured a first-and-goal on the Wildcat 5.
“We’re not making big mistakes,” Morris said. “We’re not turning the ball over too much – we’re making the little mistakes like lining up in the wrong formation and jumping offsides If we can correct those little mistakes, we’ll be all right.”
Gaston expects a big battle tonight in Jackson County against another Class 2A, Region 7 rival.
“I figure that Fyffe and Sand Rock are fighting for the top two spots in the region and everyone else is fighting for the other two,” Morris said. “If we can get a couple of region wins, we’ll be right in the thick of it.”
Section, a team loaded with sophomores, features seniors at the key positions.
“(Running back Chris) Manning is liable to break a big play at any time,” Morris said. “They run the Wing-T and don’t do anything fancy. They’re just good at what they do.”
Last week against Sand Rock, Jordan Douglas was 7-of-13 passing for 134 yards and no interceptions.
Shai Ogles rushed five times for 76 yards and caught three passes for 69 yards and a touchdown.