Gaffney stymies Rock Hill offense in rainy win

The only thing missing from this cold, rainy, windy mess of an evening was mud-caked jerseys. Thanks to the turf at District Three stadium, those were absent. But the drenched terrain was a mosh pit for two teams - Rock Hill and Gaffney - desperate to avoid an 0-2 start in region play and scrapping for a victory to build upon and turn their seasons around.

The contest featured much of what one would expect in such a rainy affair. There were fumbles. Lots of fumbles. In the first half alone, Rock Hill put the ball on the ground four times and lost it three times. Gaffney had three such miscues in the half, including two on consecutive snaps with the second landing in the hands of a Bearcats defender.

Also, as expected, receivers had a hard time reeling in passes, though neither side was shy about putting the ball in the air. The teams combined for 57 pass attempts, with the lone first-half score being a 42-yard pitch-and-catch from Gaffney quarterback Bryson Ward to junior receiver D.J. Logan.

Rock Hill attempted to go deep several times to open targets, but strong winds often carried the passes over their heads.

Weather wasn’t the only thing stifling offensive production. Both defenses were in attack mode throughout the game, obviously clued into the fact that a slippery ball equates turnover opportunities. On any given play four or more defenders would pile on a ball carrier simultaneously, swatting and tugging at the ball.

While the Bearcats couldn’t get anything going against the Gaffney’s attack, the Indians had an answer for Rock Hill’s bruisers: Ward’s speedy feet. Ward kept drives alive with long runs after escaping out of the collapsed pocket and he set up the second Indian touchdown with a 28-yard scamper that got them inside the ten-yard line.

Turning point

On fourth and eight with 2:54 left in the third quarter Gaffney punter Robert Martinez dropped the snap with several Bearcats bearing down on him. Martinez picked the ball up and somehow made the defenders miss him while scurrying for a first down. With a renewed drive, the Indians wound down the third quarter and scored on the first play of the third on a four- yard run by Logan.

Critical

With its passing game all wet, the Bearcats needed some big gains on the ground to compete. They couldn’t get that going either due to a litany of fumbles and penalty yards.

Star contributions

Logan had the distinction of being the only player to cross the goal line with the ball. His two scores were the highlights of an otherwise dreary evening of football. On his 42-yard catch-and-run, Logan broke four tackles before sprinting up the left sideline and diving for the pylon. He finished with 86 total yards of offense on five touches.

This story was originally published October 2, 2015 at 10:45 PM with the headline "Gaffney stymies Rock Hill offense in rainy win."