Appalachia beats Gate City in ‘Wet and Wild’ affair, 20-7

By Cody Dalton
TriCitiesSports.com
October 27, 2006

Gate City, Va. – In what was a wet and soggy Friday night at Legion Field, the Appalachia Bulldogs defeated the Blue Devils of Gate City, 20-7, in Lonesome Pine District football play.

The Bulldogs would dominate the game offensively, with a balanced attack from both the pass and the run. Quarterback Cody Richardson complete 5 of 14 passes, as well as passing for 104 yards and a touchdown. Appalachia’s running game was sparked Chad Leedy, who had 138 yards on 26 carries and a touchdown.

“I think it was a typical Gate City-Appalachia game,” said Appalachia coach Roger Austin. “Gate City is a tremendously tough team. We just made a few more plays than they did.”

While missing both quarterback Tihlee Anderson and running back Tyler Parks, the Blue Devils found sources of offense in other places. Sophomore quarterback Jon Kern completed 7 of his 15 passes for 81 yards, as well as rushing for nine yards on three carries and a touchdown. Junior running back Payton Jenkins lead Gate City in rushing, with 63 yards on 14 carries and one catch for five yards.

The on-field conditions would be a struggle for both teams during the game, as many players would lose their footing every now and then. Surprisingly, both teams still had success throwing the football despite the wet and rainy conditions.

“They had great success at throwing the ball, which is hard to believe given the playing conditions,” said coach Nick Colobro. “I think we should have thrown the ball more because we were doing well at it, but that’s just football I guess.”

The Bulldogs win improves their record to 8-1 overall and 5-1 in the Lonesome Pine District. This incredible season comes on the cusp of the loss of coach Tom Turner back on April 26.

“I feel like he is still with us, he is always with us,” said Austin. “Tom meant and will always mean a lot to this program. He established this program and I am looking to keep it going. I don’t want to change anything, just play Bulldog football.”

Despite the loss, coach Nick Colobro is pleased with the performance of this team.

“I thought our kids executed the game-plan well,” said Colobro. “I thought we played extremely hard and played with a lot of heart, as well. They were victorious as far as the score is concerned, but I am extremely pleased with this effort tonight.”

Gate City is now 4-5, with a 3-3 record in the LPD. Both teams end their regular seasons next week as the Bulldogs host the Powell Valley Indians, while the Blue Devils will travel to district leading J.I. Burton next Friday. Both games are scheduled to being a 7:30 p.m.

1 2 3 4 FINAL
Appalachia 6 0 6 8 20
Gate City 0 7 0 0 7

Appalachia – Cody Richardson 27-yard pass to Morgan Ireson (2-point conversion failed)
Gate City – Jon Kern, 7-yard run (Ked Byrd kick)
Appalachia – Chad Leedy, 2-yard run (2-point conversion failed)
Appalachia – Morgan Ireson, 28-yard run (2-point conversion good)

Gate City Appalachia
First Downs 8 12
Rushing Att-Yards 24-85 39-174
Passes Comp.-Att.-Int. 7-15-0 5-14-3
Passing Yards 81 104
Total Offense 166 278
Punting 3-48.0 3-37.6
Fumbles-Lost 3-2 0-0
Penalties 5-50 7-55

Individual Stats

RUSHING
Appalachia – Leedy, 26-138, TD; Ireson, 6-24, TD; Jessee, 5-10; Carter, 2-2.
Gate City – Jenkins, 14-63; Jones, 4-11; Kern, 3-9, TD; Estepp, 3-2.

PASSING
Appalachia – Richardson, 5-14-3, 104, 1 TD.
Gate City – Kern, 7-15-0, 81, 0 TD.

RECEIVING
Appalachia – Ireson, 2-69, TD; Leedy, 2-13; Brickey, 1-22.
Gate City – Jones, 3-45; Phillips, 1-26; Jenkins, 1-5; Estepp, 1-5.