Pirate defense comes up big in win over No. 5 Colts

GOSNELL -- Protecting a seven-point lead, the Gosnell defense forced three Rivercrest turnovers in the final 4:54 of the game, including a backbreaking scoop-and-score on the Colts' failed hook-and-ladder in the closing moments.

The Pirate defense came up big all night in Friday's home-opener, following the late defensive touchdown with an interception that iced a 22-7 win over Class 3A fifth-ranked Rivercrest in the non-conference finale.

Gosnell forced four total turnovers, while committing none in rainy, muddy conditions at J.W. Rea Stadium.

None was bigger than the hook-and-ladder play.

The Colts had possession at their own 16, down 14-7 with 3:07 to play.

Rivercrest quarterback Marquez Chew tossed a short pass to Tracy Allen, who tried to lateral to a teammate as he was hit. Instead, the ball fell to the ground and Gosnell's Javion Lee snatched it and raced about 15 yards to the end zone with 2:55 to play.

A Colt player was flagged for hitting Lee late, but a Pirate retaliated, drawing a flag as well.

After the official controversially spotted the ball at the 15 -- the penalties didn't offset -- Gosnell quarterback Dwight Griffin ran in the long two-point conversion for a 22-7 lead.

On the first play of the ensuing series, Gosnell's Ricky Gable picked off Chew and returned it to the Rivercrest 26 to put the finishing touches on the game.

"With the game still really tight, especially late in the game, that was a huge play for us to come up with," Gosnell head coach Gary Moody said of the turnover on the hook-and-ladder. "Then, we followed that up with being able to get an interception on the next drive and really kind of seal it. Boy, our defense really played outstanding all night. We've been playing good defense this season. Rivercrest really came at us tonight. They played very, very well. They were tough up front and our defense really held strong all night long. I'm extremely pleased with that."

Rivercrest head coach Kelly Chandler had hoped to turn the hook-and-ladder into a game-changer the other way.

"We thought we had a chance to complete that and to get a big play out of it," Chandler said. "It was open, they made a good play on it. They hit us as we pitched it and made it go wild and kind of broke the game open."

He said turnovers hurt, especially against good teams.

"They're a good team and we think we're a good team," Chandler said. "When it's equally matched, if you have turnovers you're just hurting yourself."

He didn't blame the steady rain for the miscues, however.

"I think it didn't have an effect," Chandler said. "Both teams played in it. Both teams are running teams anyway."

Despite the conditions, the Pirates (2-1) had their first turnover-free game of the season as they played their final non-conference game.

"It didn't look good during the day, with the pouring rain, but we talked to our guys about, we've just got to play," Moody said. "We can't let the rain be any type of an excuse or a reason that would cause us to lose a ball game. We've got to just play our best, concentrate on taking care of the ball and it wasn't a factor for us tonight. I thought our guys did an outstanding job. We might have had one or two botched balls here or there, but we were able to get on them. For the most part, we did an excellent job taking care of the ball in wet weather."

Gosnell tailback Marcus Mullins had another big night, carrying the ball 24 times for 139 yards and a touchdown. Griffin came up big as well, rushing 11 times for 68 yards and a touchdown, while completing 3 of 9 passes for 64 yards.

"Dwight Griffin played a tremendous game," Moody said. "He really played outstanding tonight. We talked throughout the week that we really needed him to attack what Rivercrest does defensively. He threw the ball well, he ran the ball well. He ran our offense well. He really showed some leadership at quarterback and stepped up and made some big plays for us. We had another good night from Marcus running tough. Just a total team effort."

Both defenses were stingy early in the game with neither team finding the end zone until the Pirates scored late in the second quarter.

The Colts had the best opportunity to score in the first quarter, but kicker Coy Chipman just missed a 31-yard field goal attempt at the 2:49 mark.

Gosnell's first first down didn't come until 3:40 to play in the second quarter. The next play, Mullins took advantage of some outstanding blocking and raced 30 yards around the right side to set up the Pirates at the Rivercrest 40. Two snaps later, Griffin rolled right and hit big tailback Carlos Blackman in the flat for a 24-yard gain. Mullins capped the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run, and Gable added the PAT for a 7-0 lead with 1:10 left until halftime.

Rivercrest fumbled on the ensuing series, but the Colt defense kept the Pirates out of the end zone after they moved from the RHS 40 to the 11.

The Gosnell offense got going in the third quarter. After Blackman's 38-yard opening kickoff return set Gosnell up near midfield, Mullins and Griffin ran the Pirates deep into Rivercrest territory.

Griffin cashed in with an 11-yard touchdown run, weaving through traffic and lunging into the end zone at the 8:31 mark. Gable's extra point made it 14-0.

Rivercrest answered on its first drive of the third quarter, covering 81 yards in 10 plays.

Chew fired to Kani Turner, who made a spectacular one-handed catch in the end zone for a 25-yard TD connection. Chipman's PAT trimmed the Gosnell lead to 14-7 with 3:48 left in the third quarter.

That was all the Pirate defense would allow.

Gosnell defensive back A.J. Jones pounced on a Rivercrest fumble with 4:54 to play, halting an 11-play, 43-yard series. Gosnell took over at its own 40 with an opportunity to pad the lead.

Mullins broke a 56-yard touchdown run, but it was called by one of Gosnell's 10 penalties for 87 yards. The Rivercrest defense forced a Pirate punt three plays later. But, on the next snap, Lee scored on the unsuccessful hook-and-ladder.

"Our kids stayed strong defensively," Moody said. "They stayed determined offensively to continue to try to work and we were able to put a few things together to get some drives as the game went on and put some points on the board. It was just a really tough, hard-fought win against a really good team tonight."

Gosnell finished with 281 total yards, including 217 on the ground. The Colts rushed it 44 times for 148 and totaled 211 on the evening.

Cecil Langston led the Rivercrest rushers with 15 carries for 46 yards. Chew had 14 totes for 42, while completing 5 of 9 passes for 63 yards and the interception.

Gosnell opens 3-4A conference play against Brookland on homecoming Friday night.

Meanwhile, Rivercrest takes the same 1-2 mark it had last year into 3-3A conference play as the Colts begin defense of their league title at Harrisburg Friday night.

Kickoff for both games is scheduled for 7 p.m.

mbrasfield@blythevillecourier.com