Photo: Sardis High’s Jake Ross (31) escapes from Boaz’s Jackson Sarratt during the Lions’ 34-7 victory last Friday (Nov. 3). (Bentley Gray/Sand Mountain Reporter)
By Taylor Beck/Sand Mountain Reporter
After Boaz jumped out to a 7-0 first quarter lead over Sardis, the Lions scored 35 unanswered points on the way to a 34-7 victory last Friday (Nov. 3) at Boaz.
Boaz junior running back Christian Collins bolted to the end zone from 58 yards out to score the Pirates’ lone touchdown with 4:10 remaining in the first quarter.
Sardis senior receiver Jake Ross returned the opening kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown but the score was called back on a penalty for a block in the back.
It wasn’t until the first play of the second quarter that the Lions found the end zone. Senior quarterback Logan Gaskin threw a 50-yard touchdown strike to Ross, tying the Pirates 7-7.
Later in the second quarter with 5:39 left on the clock, Sardis capped off an 80-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run from sophomore running back Lukas Morris to pull ahead 14-7.
On the next offensive series, Gaskin found senior receiver Chase Bright open for a 12-yard touchdown pass with under three minutes to play in the first half to push the lead out to 21-7.
Sardis head coach Gene Hill gave credit to Boaz for giving the Lions a hard time early on and was proud of the way his team handled the adversity.
“Boaz came out and played really hard in the first half. We didn’t play a clean game. Our team played hard, but we made too many penalties, too many mistakes. Obviously, the opening kickoff being called back and everything, so we went into halftime and cleaned it up a little bit and I thought we played better in the second half.”
Penalties were an issue for both teams. Sardis finished with nine penalties for 79 yards, while Boaz finished with a season-high 15 penalties for 174 yards.
In the second half, Gaskin ran for the Lions’ final two scores – one from a yard out in the third quarter and another from 11 yards out in the fourth quarter – to extend the lead to 35-7.
As a team, the Lions outgained the Pirates 503 to 223 in total yards and dominated time of possession 35:10 to 12:50.
Gaskin completed 6-of-16 passes for 122 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air, and led the Sardis rushing attack with 175 yards and 2 touchdowns on 23 carries. Sophomore running back Temon Wilson tallied 114 yards on 21 carries.
For Boaz, Collins led the way with 122 and a score on 13 carries. Sophomore quarterback Easton Hardin finished 8-of-27 for 94 yards and an interception.
With the win Friday night, Sardis finishes 7-3 in the regular season and advances to the round one of the Class 4A state playoffs. Next week the Lions host Cherokee County and aim to win the school’s first playoff game since 2007.