St. Cloud used a big third quarter to break open a close game at the half to take a 44-6 victory Friday over Gateway.
It was the Bulldogs' (4-2) fourth win in a row in what's been a spirited rivalry against the Panthers (1-3).
Thanks to a pair of turnovers, St. Cloud scored 27 points in the third quarter to turn what was just a 10-6 lead after Adrian Gonzalez hit a 31-yard field goal on the last play of the first half, into a blowout.
"The first half was not as crisp, like our practice Thursday night," Bulldogs Coach Mike Short said. "Frankly, I was a little worried, but we can chalk it up to missing a week of practicing and games. The third quarter explosion was great to see and I'm proud of the kids for taking control of the game, considering Gateway had a great game plan for us."
The Panthers got on the board first, when Eli Azize hit Josh Fuller over the middle on a short pass, and the sophomore sped to the end zone on a 38-yard strike that punctuated GHS' first drive for a 6-0 lead after the PAT try was blocked.
In the second quarter, St. Cloud's offense finally started to click. Logan King hit Owen Conner and Jake Dabrowski on 15-yard completions, that set up a two-yard Terrence Griffin TD run. Gonzalez's PAT gave the Bulldogs a 7-6 lead that they'd never give up.
Gateway got the ball to start the third quarter with the chance to take the lead, but quarterback Eli Azize, who just returned from an injury in the spring, went down with an ankle injury on the second play after halftime, and it was a turning point in the game. Gateway was forced to punt, and St. Cloud drove to the end zone when King hit Griffin on a wheel route on a 23-yard scoring strike.
On the Panthers' next snap, Landon Millman pulled a middle screen pass out of the air and scored on an 18-yard interception return. The Bulldogs recovered a fumble on the next drive, and turned it into a 5-yard Noah Carr TD run. Griffin scored his 13-yard run on the final play of the quarter to make it 37-6. Conner scored from eight yards out on an end-around with four minutes to go in the game to send the clock running.
Short said his offense was flummoxed at first by Gateway's blitz, which produced four sacks in the game.
"We were able to get it to the outside to get things going," he said. "I feel bad for Marlin (Roberts, GHS coach), Eli going down was a turning point. Those guys are just a QB away from being really solid."
Gateway's turnaround is quick; it makes up its Homecoming game and District 3S-8 game with Liberty (0-5) on Monday.
St. Cloud hosts Winter Haven Ambassador's Christian on Friday.
