|
Braves Dominate Gwinn In First Conference Game
 GWINN---The Gladstone High School football team won its first-ever Mid Peninsula Conference game Friday night, beating the Gwinn Model Towners, 42-0, in Gwinn. Braves quarterback Darin Johnson threw four touchdown passes and ran in another score as Gladstone beat a Gwinn team that suited up just 13 players. "Lack of depth has a way of doing that to you in second halves of games," Gladstone Coach Jeff Hansen said. "He (Gwinn Coach Dion Brown) is in a situation where he has to manage the health of his players for an entire season. We're lucky that we're on the other side of that with 42 players. We could sub liberally and that keeps guys fresh." The Braves got on the board with a special teams play as Christian Creten blocked a punt and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown. "I saw it coming," Creten said. "I shed the first two blocks, and then Coach (Aaron) Young taught me how to block punts! So, I just laid out, and I didn't think I was going to scoop it up, but I got it!" "A 'scoop and score' is a really special play," Hansen said. "Christian is a very special football player. He's dedicated himself completely, too, in the off-season. I think that play pretty much set the tempo for the rest of the football game." The Model Towners were able to move the ball at times, and their first drive looked good, with sophomore Blaine Bridges breaking off runs of nine and 13 yards. But Alex Chouinard sacked quarterback Austin Forbes and the drive stalled two plays later. Johnson got his first touchdown pass of the game moments later as he found Jeff Stenson for a short gain that turned into a 53-yard touchdown, thanks to great blocking down field. "We 'stock blocked' well down the field," Hansen said. "That was a point of emphasis for us coming into the season because we knew that this was the type of offense that we wanted to run. In order to be successful like that, we have to turn (short) catches like that into long plays, we have to have those blocks, and we got that tonight." The Model Towners moved the ball to the Braves' 40 yard-line, but a fumble ended that drive, and moments later, Johnson hooked up with Spencer Husbye for a 60-yard touchdown pass. That made it a 20-0 game early in the second quarter. Gwinn again picked up a couple of first downs, including one on an 18-yard pass from Forbes to Tucker Taylor. But a 15-play Model Towner drive came to an end when the Gladstone defense stuffed a 4th-and-3 play at the Braves 23 yard-line. Gladstone's quick-strike offense struck again in just four plays, with Johnson finding Jared Demeuse for a 37-yard touchdown. Husbye had a great block on the play, and Demeuse literally bull-rushed his way into the end zone. It was 27-0 at the half. The Braves took the second half kickoff and it took just three plays to find the scoreboard again, as Johnson found Owen Hanson for a 38-yard touchdown pass. Johnson ran in the two-point play to make it 35-0, and that set the mercy rule in effect. The final touchdown was icing on the cake as Johnson raced by everybody for a 78-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. He ended up with 128 rushing yards on seven carries, and in the air, Johnson compeleted 5 of 7 passes for 190 yards and four TD's. "Our wide receivers did a great job of 'stock-blocking' and the linemen did a great job of blocking up front, giving me a lot of time to find them, and let teh receivers do what they've got to do," Johnson said. "I was focused. Just trying to make the first man miss, and hope that our receivers get open." Gladstone avenged a blowout loss to the Model Towners from one year ago. Gladstone hosts Manistique in the home opener next Friday night. Game time is 7:00. It will be broadcast live on WGKL-FM (105.5) and WCHT-AM (600). The broadcast is also streamed live on www.rrnsports.com. Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to hear replays of four Gladstone touchdowns, and interviews by Jared Demeuse, Alex Chouinard, Christian Creten, Darin Johnson, and Jeff Hansen. |
