PUTNAM COUNTY
The undefeated streak ended at four for the Gatewood Gators Friday night as they were shut out 35-0 in Columbus by the defending Class 4A state champion Ste. Anne-Pacelli Vikings.
Regardless, head coach Jeff Ratliff said he was pleased with his team’s effort and resilience despite facing true adversity for the first time this season.
“That’s a good team we were playing, but our kids played hard. They really did. They played hard. I thought we played really physical, and we hit those guys pretty well. We forced them into a couple of turnovers and we got a few stops and most teams on film were not even able to do that to them. So as far as effort, I’m happy,” Ratliff said.
“We just had trouble moving the football and sustaining any type of consistency on offense. And thus, the defense had to stay out on the field a long, long time and they eventually wore down,” he continued. “And again, they have a good football team there. They don’t have a lot of chinks in their armor. We played hard, so there are no regrets on my side. Kids gave me what they had. They played hard and we just lost to a good football team.”
A passing play midway through the opening quarter got the scoring going for the Vikings with a touchdown followed by the extra point and that’s how the quarter ended. It took only about a minute, though, for Pacelli to score again on a long rush in the second quarter. The PAT put them up 14-0 and by the end of the half, the score had doubled to 28-0 in favor of the home team.
Once the game resumed, Pacelli again took over, scoring twice in the third quarter and again with a passing play followed by a rushing touchdown. It was 35-0 when the quarter ended with no more scoring in the final quarter.
“Again, we’re not going to focus on them too much. They’ve got a good program, they did a good job,” Ratliff said. “And again, we just lost to a good football team. That’s really all I can say about it.”
Up next for the Gators is a trip to Macon on Friday to face the two-time defending 2A state champion Central Fellowship Christian Academy (CFCA) Lancers. The Lancers also were undefeated with a 3-0-1 record heading into last Friday’s game in Monticello against Piedmont Academy, where the Cougars won 14-7.
“My message to the team this week is just to keep your heads up. There’s no shame in getting beat by Pacelli. We gave them our best effort and we’ve just got to fix the things that we did wrong,” Ratliff said.
“We’ve got to focus now from here on out because we’ve pretty much got all division opponents left.”
Meanwhile, Ratliff insisted his goals have not changed for the Gators.
“That loss did nothing to keep us from obtaining those goals, and that’s to make it to the state championship game and go win it in December,” he said. “So, our goals are still in front of us. There’s no sulking around here. I mean, obviously, we don’t want to lose, but we’re going to move on. We’re going to be fine.”
After the CFCA game this week, the Gators will benefit from a much-needed bye week to refresh and heal up a few nagging injuries before resuming their home schedule on Oct. 13 against the Fullington Academy Trojans out of Pinehurst.