It was the last game of the season for the Garretson Blue Dragons on Friday night, and it didn’t disappoint. It was a high action game, lots of plays and lots of flags and penalties on those plays on both ends of the field. The Blue Dragons managed to keep a very narrow lead the first quarter, and then stretched that lead significantly in the second half for a 33 to 14 win!
“With the cold temperatures and wind that day, we planned to keep the game on the ground and not throw the ball,” said Head Coach Jerry Weiland. “Ball control was the priority in our game plan. We held onto the ball and won the turnover battle.”
Though Centerville made more plays (56 plays for 6.2 yards per play), GHS made more yardage per play (38 plays 8.7 yards per play). This carried the day. Carson Clark gained 186 yards for Garretson and Hunter Abraham also made some good distance with 128 yards gained.
Almost right out of the gate, Carson Clark made a great 20-yard run for a touchdown, and Jenna Van Holland kicked it home for an extra point. Then, for the rest of the half, Garretson fought a battle that was both defensive and offensive.
Defense pushed hard to keep Centerville from scoring while offense tried to get closer and closer for another scoring opportunity, only to be repeatedly checked. And there were a lot of penalty calls, both for Centerville and Garretson. Despite that, the game action was near constant, and the quarters ticked by rapidly with a lot of blink and you missed it moments!
Following on the heels of a loose ball fumble as they were closing in on the end zone, the closest the Blue Dragons came to scoring again in that half was Van Holland going for a field goal, but it sadly fell short. Just before the half, Centerville’s slow but steady advance finally had a breakthrough with only 37 seconds left on the clock. Their extra point pass was no good, but GHS fans certainly went into half time biting their nails with the scoreboard 7-6.
“I felt like we were aggressive on defense and rallied to the ball well,” said coach Weiland.
It was a good tackling game for the Dragons. Dylan Jessen, Michael Olson, Matt Gilbert, Carson Clark, Jayden Davis, Jaden Richter, Brock Bonte, Hunter Abraham and Blaine Trower all made good solo tackles. Tackles at the right place, at the right time, prevented scoring and crucial third down advances for Centerville.
As the second quarter ended and the third began, GHS wrestled control back. Clark ran through for a 62-yard touchdown, and Van Holland put the extra point between the goal posts. Five minutes later they did it again, Abraham busting through getting the last yard and another successful kick by Van Holland, putting the scoreboard at 21 to 6 in favor of Garretson!
Centerville pushed back, slowly grinding away, and got a three-yard touchdown and extra point making the score 21-14. Mere seconds later, Garretson flipped the script and Hunter Abraham made a 57-yard run in for a touchdown. Van Holland sadly missed that kick, but the score was now 27-14. That pretty much ended the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was a brawl up and down the field, with no score until 1:27 was left on the clock when Carson Clark broke out of the gridlock for a 40-yard touchdown run. No joy from Van Holland on the extra point, but there was a lot of joy for Blue Dragon fans as this left the score 33-14!
“We kept our offensive plays very basic and did well with all those plays,” said coach Weiland.
The Dragons will not continue into the post-season, but it was very nice to see them finish their season with a hometown win!
