Despite falling 49-27 to Brentwood last Friday night in Sandersville and dropping to 0-3 on the season, Gatewood head coach Jeff Ratliff said the Gators are showing signs of progress.
All three defeats came against what Ratliff considers among the better programs his team will face this year. The season opened with a 47-7 loss to Tattnall Square, followed by a 26-8 win at Briarwood Academy the following week.
Despite the loss, Gatewood’s 27 points marked a notable step forward offensively, Ratliff said.
“I think we’re getting better; I do,” he stressed immediately after the game. “We’ve played three good teams. And I don’t want to take anything away from anyone else, but yeah, I still think Brentwood is – until somebody knocks them off – they’re the team to beat in Class AA anyway.”
Brentwood also entered the game 0-2 after losses to John Milledge Academy and Bulloch Academy, but the War Eagles earned their first victory of the season, led by 122 yards on 13 carries and two touchdowns by Division I prospect Tristan Robinson.
For Gatewood, the key was finding ways to sustain drives and keep Robinson and the rest of the Brentwood offense off the field. “We moved the ball well at times,” Ratliff said. “And when we can get some time of possession, and we can choose some clock, we can stay in ball games.”
The Gators also forced an early turnover, allowing the defense to keep pace with Brentwood. Despite the result, Ratliff said he was pleased with his players' effort and pointed to several individual performances that stood out to him.
Offensive tackle Peyton Traylor earned praise for his work on the right side.
"I think our entire O-line is getting better every game," Ratliff said. "I just need to see the film to see the rest of them.”
He added that he felt freshman playmaker Bennett Haley showed flashes of promise but still needs work on taking care of the football, and senior running back Landon Moreno made some good runs.
Ratliff also credited tailbacks Brady Haley and Drew Love, along with Sean Bennett, wide receiver Ben Pearson, and Blake Brannen.
Defensively, Ratliff said he felt Moreno and Brady Haley were “quite active” at linebacker, but he recognized the Gators struggled to slow down Brentwood’s running game.
“We’ve just got to get better up front,” he said. “We’re just getting hammered up there, so we’ve got to figure out how to slow these guys down that are going to pound it at you.”
Both teams also had to contend with a steady stream of penalties. Still, Ratliff acknowledged that most of Gatewood’s miscues were self-inflicted, with some unfortunately wiping out potentially big plays.
In fact, Gatewood’s opening series looked promising as the Gators advanced with three long runs; however, penalties eventually wiped out the drive and forced Gatewood to punt.
“You’ve got to be disciplined, got to clean things up,” Ratliff said.
Regardless, Ratliff credited the officiating crew. While he questioned a couple of calls during the game, he stressed later that the officials were not responsible for the outcome.
“They had nothing to do with this score,” Ratliff said. “They had a tough job, but they were fair and did it pretty well, I thought.”
The Gators now have a bye week to regroup before hosting Southland Academy of Americus at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 11 for their first home game of the season.
Ratliff said it’s a welcome break.
“Man, I am looking forward to getting home,” he admitted. “The friendly confines of Sammons Field are looking really, really good to me right now.”