Gaston (1-2, 1-1) at Spring Garden (3-0, 2-0)
Last week: Gaston 21, Ider 12; Spring Garden 33, Gaylesville 13
Last meeting: Gaston 28, Spring Garden 7 (2011)
Series record: Gaston leads 15-1
By Gene Stanley/Sports Correspondent
There is no superstar at Spring Garden High.
Not one player to isolate and try and stop.
That worries Gaston coach Swane Morris, who noted that when the other team has a superstar, it’s usually easier to prepare for them.
“They’re well balanced, so they’re hard to stop,” he said. “It’s tougher to stop this kind of team because you don’t know who will show up.”
To add to that, the Class 1A No. 10 Panthers use a number of formations, on both offense and defense.
“They try to get you in something you don’t want to be in,” Morris said. “On defense they try to load the box and stop the run, but they do it in a number of different ways.”
After getting the season’s first win last week, Morris said the Bulldogs are ready to get on with life.
“Until you get that first win, you don’t really know your team,” he said. “You don’t know how they react to victory.
“You’re really still learning your team. Now we can move on and see how the season goes.”
Coming into this week’s game, Gaston, Section and Cleveland are in a three-way tie for second place in 2A, Region 7.
Against Ider, Mitchell Smith gained 117 yards on 13 carries. Javonte Pope rushed six times for 37 yards, while Jordan Douglas added 33 yards on nine attempts.
Albert Douglas had two interceptions, one of which he returned 75 yards for a touchdown.
