Gilmer shuts down Ridgeland offense

Arkansas-SEMO Live Blog

Gilmer County dominated Ridgeland.

The Bobcats threw when they wanted, ran when they wanted and held Ridgeland to 80 total yards in a 21-7 Region 7-AAAA win Friday night at Bowers and Painter Field.

"They took it to us," Ridgeland coach Mark Mariakas said. "We knew they had weapons all over the field and they put you in a bind."

Gilmer (5-1, 1-1) rushed for 177 yards -- with Russell Cochran gaining 117 on 24 carries -- and quarterback Chris James passed for 130 yards. Gilmer junior Thaddeus Bowers caught a first-quarter touchdown pass from James. He also caught two of the four passes attempted by Ridgeland, giving him seven interceptions for the season.

"I've got to read the receivers and the line and read the quarterback's eyes," Bowers said of his defensive skills.

Gilmer limited Caderius Word to 18 yards on 12 carries. The Panthers' Markeith Montgomery gained 60 yards on five carries.

"Our D-line and linebackers played awesome," Bowers said. "Ridgeland is usually able to move their ball with their wing-T."

The Bobcats scored first following a 13-play drive that covered 58 yards. Bowers took a short pass over the middle from James and slipped two tacklers before crossing the goal line for a 10-yard touchdown.

Montgomery covered 50 yards on one running play and punched in the touchdown from 2 yards out to tie the game.

Ridgeland survived a poor punt snap in the second quarter and stopped the Bobcats twice on fourth down. Marquie Davis ended the first half by intercepting James in the end zone. He returned the pickoff 42 yards before getting pushed out of bounds.

"Our defense was in the bend-but-don't-break mode," Mariakas said. "But we just couldn't get off the field."

Ridgeland totaled two first downs and 62 yards of offense -- all on the ground -- before the bands played for 20 minutes. But the Panthers limited the Bobcats to 70 rushing yards on 19 carries before halftime.

Gilmer sophomore Josh White recovered a Ridgeland fumble, giving the Bobcats a short field.

Russell Cochran gave Gilmer a 14-7 lead on a 3-yard run early in the third quarter. Cochran gave the Bobcats a comfortable 21-7 lead with a 29-yard scamper around the right side.

"That's when I felt comfortable," James said. "This is a nice win."

Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP

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