Blue Devils survive late comeback from Redmen, 28-27

GALLIPOLIS — Just call the Rock Hill Redmen the Heartbreak Kids.

A furious comeback ended with a missed extra point as the Redmen lost 28-27 to the Gallia Academy Blue Devils on Friday in an Ohio Valley Conference game.

The one-point loss comes on the heels of last week’s 8-7 loss at Cincinnati Purcell Marian. Not only that, but the Redmen lost just 39-36 at Boyd County, Ky., in the second game of the season.

The Redmen (1-6, 0-3) trailed at one point 28-7 when they began their comeback.

After a Rock Hill punt to start the game, Gallia Academy (2-5, 2-2) went on an 83-yard, 13 play drive that ended when Travon Wilson hooked up with Brock Shelton on a 19-yard play with 4:34 on the clock.

The conversion kick was blocked and it was 6-0.

After the kick-off, Rock Hill fumbled on the first play and the Blue Devils recovered at the Redmen 33. It took six plays and a 15-yard penalty on Rock Hill to get the Blue Devils into the red zone where they scored on a 4-yard run by Tyshawn Clendenin and it was 12-0.

Things stayed bad for the Redmen as the Blue Devils’ Grant Owens came up with an interception at the Gallia 10-yard line and he returned it to the 19 yards to the 29-yard line.

Gallia (2-5, 2-2) drove to the Rock Hill 42 but were forced to punt.

But things went from bad to worse as Owens intercepted his second pass at the 34 and returned it to the 2-yard line.

Shelton scored on the next play and then ran for the conversion and it was 20-0 with 5:19 left in the half.

Rock Hill settled down and drove from its own 35 the length of the field and Jarrod Bridges hit Cash Lyons on a 4-yard pass for the touchdown.

Cameron Howard’s conversion kick made it 20-7 with just 9 seconds left in the half.

The Blue Devils took the second half kickoff and went 61 yards in 9 plays capped by Shelton’s 3-yard run and he also ran for the conversion and it was 28-7 with 6:55 on the third quarter clock.

Rock Hill was held on downs at the Gallia 31, but the Blue Devils fumbled the ball away and Carson Doolin recovered for the Redmen at the 23.

It took just 3 plays to score as Colton Lewis ran 18 yards for the touchdown and Howard’s conversion kick cut the deficit to 28-14 with 3:27 left in the third quarter.

The Redmen forced a punt and got the ball back at their own 43 and marched quickly in 7 plays with Lewis getting free on a 28-yard scoring scamper with 10:53 to play.Howard’s conversion kick got the Redmen within 28-21.

The defense forced another punt and the offense put together a 77-yard, 14-play drive that featured 3 third down conversions. Bridges kept the ball and ran 3 yards for the touchdown with 1:18 to play.

But the conversion kick missed by a foot just to the right of the goalposts as Gallia Academy narrowly held onto the lead.

The Blue Devils were able to recover the onside kick-off and Shelton got runs of 3 and 8 yards for a first down which enabled Gallia to run out the clock.

Rock Hill had 298 total yards with 198 coming on the ground and Bridges was 8 of 14 passing for 101 yards and a touchdown. Bridges also ran 13 times for 95 yards and a score while Lewis came off the bench to run 12 times for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Lyons caught 5 passes for 60 yards and a TD.

Gallia Academy gained 233 total yards with 122 on the ground led by Shelton with 67 yards on 12 attempts and 2 touchdowns. Clendenin carried 13 times for 41 yards and a score.

Wilson was 15 of 17 passing for 111 yards and a touchdown. Shelton had 4 catches for 44 yards and a TD with Owens getting 31 yards on 5 grabs.

Rock Hill 0    7    7    13  =  27

Gallia Academy 12    8    8      0  =  28

First Quarter

GA — Brock Shelton 19 pass from Travon Wilson (kick blocked) 4:34

GA — Tyshawn Clendenin 4 run (kick failed) 2:28

Second Quarter

GA — Brock Shelton 2 run (Brock Shelton run) 5:19

RH — Cash Lyons 4 pass from Jarrod Bridges (Cameron Howard kick) 0:09

Third Quarter

GA — Brock Shelton 3 run (Brock Shelton run) 6;55

RH — Colton Lewis 18 run (Cameron Howard kick) 3:27

Fourth Quarter

RH — Colton Lewis 28 run (Cameron Howard kick) 10:53

RH — Jarrod Bridges 3 run (kick failed) 1:18

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            RH GA

First downs  19   14

Rushes-yards 38-197 35-122

Passing yards  101 111

Total yards   298 233

Cmp-Att-Int 8-14-2 15-17-1

Fumbles-lost 1-1 2-1

Penalties-yards 12-133 13-124

Punts-average 1-36.0 3-32.0

Time of possession  22:08 25:52

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Individual Leaders

RUSHING — Rock Hill: Jarrod Bridges 13-95 TD, Colton Lewis 12-90 2-TD, Aaron Workman 2-6, Bridger Kerns 1-4, Kelan Davidson 10-2; Gallia Academy: Brock Shelton 12-67 2-TD, Tyshawn Clendenin 13-41 TD, Bowen Saunders 6-16, Grant Owens 1 5, Travon Wilson 1-minus 5, Team 2-minus 2.

PASSING —Rock Hill: Jarrod Bridges 8-14-2 101 TD; Gallia Academy: Travon Wilson 15-17-1 111 TD.

RECEIVING — Rock Hill: Cash Lyons 5-60 TD, Rhenin Russell 2-26, Braylon McClellan 1-15; Gallia Academy: Brock Shelton 4-44 TD, Grant Owens 5-31, Jack Allison 2-17, Casey Blair 2-13, Bowen Saunders 1-5, Easton Wolford 1-1.