Gateway welcomes Commodores

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Gateway welcomes Commodores

Sports

Thursday, 29 September 2011 00:00

By Ken Jackson
Sports Writer
A 45-20 final score doesn’t reflect that, for three quarters of Saturday’s rescheduled game with St. Cloud in steamy conditions, Gateway hung with the high-powered Bulldogs’ offense.
The Panthers, who haven’t beaten St. Cloud since 2007, led 12-7 in the first half and had the ball in the third quarter trailing, 21-20.
Gateway can get back on track Friday when it hosts Eau Gallie at 7:30 p.m. at Ridenour Athletic Center.
GHS Coach Marlin Roberts said his team simply ran out of gas in the fourth quarter in Saturday’s soupy sunshine.
“In the fourth quarter, the (Eric) Pfeifer kid stepped it up a notch and beat us,” he said. “We kept him in check for most of the game. You look at the score and it doesn’t indicate that we actually played pretty well.”
When St. Cloud (2-2) scored two plays into Saturday’s resumption of Friday night’s lightning-delayed game, Gateway (2-2) answered right back with an all-rushing touchdown drive that Efrem Mitchell capped with a 31-yard scamper.
David Jerome gave the Panthers a 12-7 lead in the second quarter when he caught a 7-yard TD pass from Anthony Rodriguez.
St. Cloud scored just before and after the half, but Gateway pulled within 1, 21-20, when Mitchell scored again from the 4 and Rodriguez barreled in for a two-point conversion midway through the third quarter.
St. Cloud got to the Panthers in the fourth quarter with a no-huddle offense and a steady diet of Pfeifer, who scored on runs of 70 and 5 yards late in the game.
Roberts said while the four-quarter effort was good, critical errors cost his team.
“We had a 70-yard reverse and a fourth-down pickup called back and two bad snaps, so we made some mistakes that hurt us,” he said.
On the plus side, Gateway pounded out 244 of its 251 yards on the ground, led by Mitchell (15 carries, 87 yards) and Ian Stevens (13-84). The offensive line played well without starting center John Paul Sanchez, who is expected to return this week when the Panthers host the winless Commodores (0-4), who lost 35-0 to Bayside last week.
“We’re starting to see those guys come together,” Roberts said. “They believe in themselves and are playing physical.”
He said Eau Gallie’s record is not an indication of its talent.
“They’ve played some tough teams, like Martin County,” Roberts said. “Their quarterback has experience, the fullback (Jordan Benton) is the best player on the team,and they have a wide receiver (Matt Martin) who also plays linebacker and is tough as nails.”
Gateway, now 0-1 in 7A District 6, will host Liberty on Oct. 7 in a must-win for its playoff hopes.