RINGGOLD, Ga. - Ringgold High School quarterback Slade Dale had to pick himself up and dust himself off a few more times than he was accustomed to Friday night. But despite suffering six sacks at the hands of the inspired Heritage Generals, Dale still scored four touchdowns as Ringgold improved to 2-0 with a 46-14 victory.
Dale scored on runs 6, 12, 5 and 4 yards as the Tigers had to come back from an early Heritage ambush and a rash of their own penalties. The Generals struck first on a 46-yard pass from backup quarterback Damain Goins to Christian King after Ringgold had a touchdown wiped out by a penalty. Heritage blocked the ensuing punt and took advantage on the first play.
But Dale and junior running back Kile Sholl stole the rest of the show. Sholl, who had his first touchdown called back, scored twice on short runs in the first quarter to reclaim momentum for Ringgold. On the night, he rushed for 41 yards, caught three passes for 68 and intercepted two Heritage passes.
"Heritage had a great scheme for us tonight," Ringgold coacoh Robert Akins said. "They threw an odd front at us and put a lot of people in the box. They have a lot of good linemen and linebackers, and they put a lot of pressure on us all night.
"We finally we able to start hitting some of our short, quick routes, but we need to be able to do that better than this," Akins added.
Tanner Nance also scored for the Generals (0-1), while backup quarterback Devin Lancaster found the end zone for Ringgold in the fourth quarter. The Tigers will have the coming week off before their home opener against Central-Carrollton in two weeks.
Contact David Jenkins at sports@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6291.