Derrick Webb, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
GALLIPOLIS — Gallia Academy coach Kole Carter will be the first to admit that his team has things to work on, especially on the defensive side of the football.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
But he’ll also be the first to tell you that his kids are continuing to find ways to win games.
After taking a double-digit lead into halftime, the Blue Devils (6-0, 3-0 OVC) used a stout running game to hold off Fairland on Friday, remaining perfect with a 43-35 victory in Ohio Valley Conference play.
“We knew we could run the ball on [Fairland] and we’re really good up front,” Carter said. “When you have Isaac Clary, Dakota Siders and some big boys to run behind, that’s your bread and butter. Fairland is athletic and they have great receivers. They made us look like swiss cheese on defense all night long. Those are things, if we want to be a playoff team, we’re going to have to fix them.”
The main beneficiary of the play of Gallia’s offensive line unit was Hudson Shamblin. The junior tailback carried the ball 22 times for 129 yards and scored three touchdowns.
Put simply, he set the tone and his teammates followed.
“He’s a really good football player,” Carter said of Shamblin. “He’s tough as nails and he’s playing for brother right now. Sadly, Hunter is probably one of our best players and he’s out for the year with an MCL injury. That’s [Hudson’s] twin brother. He’s really grinded and battled this year. You can tell he carries that load for [his brother]. We can’t ask much more from Hudson.”
Fairland (4-2, 1-2 OVC) moved the chains twice on its opening drive but a turnover gave the Blue Devils the football at their own 40-yard line. 10 plays and 60 yards later, Gallia took a 7-0 lead on the legs of Shamblin, who scored from two yards out.
The Dragons turned over the football again on their next drive as Fellure made an acrobatic play to give his offense possession. The Blue Devils cashed in on the first play of the second quarter, via Shamblin from a yard out, to extend the lead to 14-0.
PHOTOS: Images from Gallia’s win over Fairland
Needing a score to stay in the game, the Dragons pieced together a 67-yard scoring drive that ended with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Jackson to Brycen Hunt, cutting the deficit in half at 14-7.
But Gallia had an answer.
On the ensuing kickoff, Kenyon Franklin raced 63 yards to the Dragons’ 15-yard line, setting up a 10-yard touchdown rush from Fellure to make it 21-7 at the 2:05 mark.
Fairland quickly raced downfield and used a hook-and-ladder play to do so, finding itself on Gallia’s 27-yard line with less than 30 seconds to play. But Fellure picked off a second pass, ending the scoring threat and keeping the 14-point lead intact heading into the break.
“It’s not often that you have a quarterback that’s an ironman like we do,” Carter said. “He plays both ways, never asks for a sub and he’s a grinder. He wants [to win] more than anyone else. That’s the type of kid you want leading your offense and leading your team. He’s the most competitive kid in our locker room. I love him to death. He deserves everything that comes his way.”
Fellure scored again with 9:58 left in the third, giving Gallia a 28-7 lead — which, at the time, seemed to be more than enough to put the game away.
However, Steeler Leep had other plans.
Fairland’s senior star caught a 39-yard pass on the next possession to set up a 13-yard rushing touchdown from Zion Martin, making it 28-14. Gallia answered with Shamblin’s third touchdown of the night, coming from a yard out at the 4:28 mark in the third, producing a 36-14 tally — following a successful two-point try.
Less than a minute later, Leep caught a pass in traffic and weaved his way 68 yards into the end zone for a 36-21 score and the game’s fourth touchdown in the span of six and a half minutes.
Gallia was forced to punt on its next possession before Fairland cut the lead to a single possession at 36-28, thanks to a one-yard touchdown run from Jackson.
However, the Blue Devils’ score with 8:28 left in the game, coming on a 30-yard touchdown run from Fellure and extending the team’s lead to 43-28, was the eventual game-winner.
Martin tallied the final touchdown of the night, a two-yard run with 3:08 left to produce the final, before Gallia moved the sticks twice to preserve the victory.
Following Shamblin’s rushing totals was Fellure, who finished with 13 carries for 82 yards and three touchdowns alongside a 7-of-9 passing performance for 94 yards. Mason Skidmore also helped out, logging 36 rushing yards and a team-high 54 receiving yards.
For the Dragons, Jackson finished 21-of-33 passing for 317 yards alongside two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed for 30 yards and a score. Martin had 15 carries for 72 yards and two scores, Leep logged six catches for 155 yards and a touchdown, and Hunt ended the evening with eight receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown.
While Gallia tries to stay undefeated at Coal Grove next week — a 43-42 loser to Portsmouth on Friday — Fairland attempts to bounce back by hosting South Point.
The Blue Devils’ last two opponents ran pass-first offenses. Coal Grove will post a new challenge.
“We’re seeing a whole different squad next week in Coal Grove. It’s going to be a big shift in gears than what we’ve been working towards these past two weeks,” Carter said. “It’s a smashmouth type of football team. It’s going to be a tall task. But I’m just proud of my kids. They kept battling tonight and found a way. That’s been our story. We’ve been resilient.”
