ANNISTON – Friday night’s Gaylesville at Donoho football game didn’t count in the record book, but it gave the Trojans one last chance for their seniors to play, and they made the most of it.
Jacob Gordon ran for 94 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. He also accounted for a 2-point conversion, posted six tackles and a tackle for loss on defense to lead the Trojans to a 16-10 decision.
“It was good to end with a win,” Gaylesville coach Brian Knapp said. “This senior class is obviously special to me. They’ve been with me since I stepped foot at Gaylesville. I wanted to give them opportunity to go out a winner. Of course I know it doesn’t count, but in reality, Gaylesville went 5-5. It’s a huge step in the right direction, especially after all the setbacks we have faced this year.
“You have to admire and be in amazement that our kids were able to battle all the ups and downs this year, and we were able to end with a win. It gives us a good taste in our mouths to be able to prepare for next year.”
Donoho (1-7) took a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Trojans countered with a long drive running the Notre Dame box, capped off by DJ Lee’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Keylon Higgins. Gordon ran in for the 2-point conversion to put the Trojans in front 8-3 at halftime.
The Falcons made some adjustments and regained the lead in the third quarter after a long drive yielded a touchdown to put them up 10-8.
Gaylesville then switched back to its traditional Wing-T and, as Knapp said, “imposed their will.” Gordon scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter for the final.
“It was a grind-it-out win, which fits us and our style. We were happy with that,” Knapp said.
“Jacob Gordon had some really back-breaking runs that allowed us to keep the chains moving. We had good balance tonight with Michael Reynolds and DJ Lee and Jacob Gordon toting the football. You’ve got to give kudos to the guys up front.
“Basically we were able to impose our will and kind of break their will. We were able to stop them on fourth down with about six minutes to go. We were able to run about four minutes off the clock, and we pinned them back. We got the ball on the 20 with about 2:30 left, and we were able to hold on and get the ball back and get out with the win.
“Donoho, if you look back at their scores this year, they are highly competitive. It’s not like they were a pushover team. They were young in a lot of spots, but they had some good players too. All in all, it’s still a quality win, especially when you go on the road and haven’t beat them since 1987. We’re proud of that.”