West End (1-5, 0-4) at Gaston (3-3, 1-2)
Last week: Fyffe 56, Gaston 8; Ider 59, West End 26
Last meeting: Gaston 40, West End 24 (2013)
Series record: West End leads 23-13-1
By Gene Stanley/Sports Correspondent
Gaston High is at the make or break point of its season.
With three Class 2A, Region 7 games left, the Bulldogs must win at least two of them to have any shot at the postseason. Gaston currently shares fourth place in the region standing with Ider and Collinsville. The Bulldogs hold the tiebreaker over Ider and play Collinsville next Friday (Oct. 17).
“We’re definitely in a must-win situation,” coach Swane Morris said. “From here on, every game is a must-win for us.”
With that said, West End coach Kyle Davis knows that Gaston will be playing up to potential.
“We’ll be looking for their best game, for sure,” Davis said. “They need a win out, I believe.”
Actually, the Bulldogs could lose one of these three, with a little help from their friends.
Gaston comes in as healthy as is possible for the time of year.
Meanwhile, West End is banged up after the Ider game.
“We’ve got some kids who will be limited in what they can do,” Davis said. “And we’ve got some question marks. We’ve had to move some kids around, too.”
One thing that Morris is worried about is looking ahead.
“We’ve got to play these three one at a time,” he said. “If we start looking past anyone, we’ll get beat.”
For West End last week, Jordan Malin had 22 carries for 122 yards.
Hunter Grant was 14 for 28 in passing for 204 yards.
Bruce Evans had three receptions for 55 yards, while Dylan Gregory and Bailey each had two.