Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

 

PEDRO — There are those tough, close games you win. There are those tough, close games you lose. And then there are those tough, close games you hand to your opponent on a silver platter.

A lost fumble to start the second half, mishandled snaps and several ill-timed penalties were the thorns in the side of the Rock Hill Redmen who lost 12-6 to the Gallipolis Blue Devils in an Ohio Valley Conference game on Friday.

“We made too many little mistakes and they all came back to haunt us,” said Rock Hill coach Mark Lutz. “We missed too many blocks and too many tackles. We’ve got to have more intensity and concentration.”

Rock Hill looked as though it had a huge break to start the game when the squib kickoff bounced off a Gallipolis player and the Redmen recovered.

A pair of 11-yard runs by Chase Delong to the ball to the 10-yard line but to mishandled snaps left the Redmen facing third-and-goal at the 10.

After a 2-yard gain, the Redmen missed on a 25-yard field goal attempt wide left and the Blue Devils had dodged a bullet.

Gallipolis then drove to the Rock Hill 19-yard line but quarterback Brody Fellure was stopped short on a fourth down play and turned the ball over on downs at the 15.

Rock Hill (2-4, 1-4) drove to the Gallipolis 36 only to come up a yard short on a fourth down pass play.

The Blue Devils (3-2, 1-1) used an 18-yard pass to Mason Skidmore and a 14-yarder to Hunter Shamblin to get to the Ironton 22 only to come up shy of the first down on a fourth-and-3 play as Fellure’s passs was incomplete.

The Redmen drove from their 15 to the Gallipolis 35 in 13 plays but time ran out and it was a scoreless first half.

Gallipolis got a big break to start the second half and cashed in their chips to take a 6-0 lead.

Rock Hill fumbled the kickoff at their 35 and Gallipolis jumped on the ball at the 33.

It took the Blue Devils 10 plays to score when Fellure threw a swing pass to Briar Williams for a 9-yard pass play with 7:26 left in the quarter. The completion came on a second-and-goal at the 9.

Rock Hill got to the Gallipolis’ 46 and appeared to have a first down only to be called for holding and were forced to punt.

The Blue Devils used a 23-yard pass to Skidmore for a first down at the Redmen 45 but Chanz Pancake intercepted a pass on the first play of the fourth quarter and Rock Hill had the ball at its own 43.

The Redmen drove to the Gallipolis 20 in 10 plays but an incomplete pass made it fourth and 7 and Williams was forced to scramble and was tackled for no gain with 5:28 left.

Gallipolis was forced to punt and Rock Hill was unable to convert on fourth down and turned the ball back to the Blue Devils at the Redmen 18.

On third and 12 with Rock Hill trying to strip the football, Shamblin got through the defense and ran 20 yards for a touchdown with 1:04 to play for a 12-0 lead that sealed the outcome.

Rock Hill didn’t quit and Williams was 4-of-7 against the Blue Devils’ prevent defense including a 17-yard to Blagg that set up his 2-yard keeper for a touchdown with just two seconds to play.

Rock Hill had 242 yards of offense with 203 coming on the ground. Delong had 11 carries for 57 yards, Hankins 14 attempts for 51 yards while Blagg and Jiles each had 37 yards.

Williams was 8-of-15 for 39 yards.

Fellure was 10-of-13 passing for 125 yards while Shamblin ran 16 times for 92 yards.

Next Friday, Rock Hill visits Chesapeake and Gallipolis will host Ironton.

Gallipolis         0          0          6          6          =          12

Rock Hill         0          0          0          6          =          6

Third Quarter

Ga – Briar Williams 9 pass from Brody Fellure (kick failed) 7:26

Fourth Quarter

Ga — Hunter Shamblin 20 run (kick failed) 1:04

Ga       RH

First downs     12        17

Rushes-yards  29-129 50-203

Passing yards  125      39

Total yards      254      242

Cmp-Att-Int    10-13-1           8-15-0

Fumbles-lost   1-1       4-1

Penalties-yards            12-115 7-40

Punts-average  1-43.0  1-25.0

——

Individual Leaders

RUSHING — Gallipolis: Hunter Shamblin 16-92 TD, Brody Fellure 5-23, Briar Williams 3-7, Paolo Jones 1-0, Hudson Shamblin 4-7; Rock Hill: Chase Delong 11-57, Owen Hankins 14-51, Hunter Blagg 8-37, Skyler Kidd 6-19 Levi Jiles 7-37, Trent Williams 4-2 TD.

PASSING — Gallipolis: Brody Fellure 10-13-1 125 TD; Rock Hill: Trent Williams 8-15-0 39.

RECEIVING — Gallipolis: Kenyon Franklin 2-27, Briar Williams 3-30 TD, Mason Skidmore 2-41, Hunter Shamblin 2-15, Cole Hines 1-12; Rock Hill: Owen Hankins Owen Hankins 5-12, Hunter Blagg 2-14, Brayden Malone 1-13.